Big City
by rainydayluver
Summary: Magnus has lived in a big city all his life, but when his mum has had enough of his partying, she sends him away to live with her friend Maryse in the countryside. Magnus is going to have to cope with the small town life, the unavoidable shovelling of poop and that adorable boy down the hall. Malec AU/AH
1. Prologue

**So this is a new story! I've had this idea in my head for a while now, so I decided to see what people thought. This is just the prologue so it isn't very long and is just introducing the main idea of the story. It's an AU/AH so there are no Shadowhunters and no warlocks, no powers involved, just some good old fashioned Malec. Read and review!**

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"Mom, you're kidding me right?" Magnus was just staring at the bags, empty and sitting on his bed. There were three enormous suitcases, staring at him and waiting to be filled. With his stuff. For his trip to Texas. Texas. Magnus Bane would be spending the summer in Texas, miles away from his friends in New York. He couldn't believe it.

His mother huffed at him, wiping her hands on her apron and giving Magnus a stern glare. "I am not kidding Magnus, you've been out partying three nights in a row and I'm fed up with it. You've only been out of school for almost a week. Your father and I have decided, you'll go away for the summer, it will be good for you. You'll be back for your senior year in the fall." Her eyes grew sad, she reached over to touch his face and he flinched away from her hand, ignoring the hurt that flashed over her features. She sighed loudly and walked out of his room, calling over her shoulder, "Pack those bags Magnus! You're going with or without your things!"

Magnus growled, slamming the door harshly and rushing to call Camille. Never far from her phone, she picked up on the second ring, her voice raspy from a night of partying. "Hello?"

"Meet me at the diner."

"Why?"

Running a hand through his black hair he bit out a snippy, "Just do it." He hung up on her and relayed the message to his other friends. Jessamine, Will, Jem, Ragnor and Camille were all on their way to meet him. He left a note for his mother saying he'd be back soon to pack the bags, grabbed his cell phone and climbed out the window. Nearly falling off the trellis and cursing every god he could think of, Magnus brushed off his purple jeans and walked down the street.

The diner was the group's central meeting place, it was within walking distance of all their houses and sold fatty foods that were perfect for fighting off a hangover. Magnus wasn't fighting one now, he'd been designated driver last night, but as he walked in his friends were all scarfing down greasy egg sandwiches. They saw him come in and Will glared at him, reaching for Jem's glass of water after emptying his own.

"What the fuck is the meaning of this Bane?" Will said, rubbing his hand over his eyes and groaning. He was sitting next to the window and leaned his head against the cool surface, closing his eyes briefly.

Camille was wearing a large pair of sunglasses that covered her green eyes and most of her high cheekbones, "Yeah, you can't see but I'm glaring at you." Magnus snorted, waving the waitress over and ordering a plate of fries for the table.

"I'm going through a crisis."

The whole table groaned, even Jem giving him an incredulous look from across the table. The quiet boy sighed, "Magnus, if this is about the guy you hooked up with-"

"It's not." Magnus said, looking out the window and wondering what it was going to be like leaving this place for the whole summer. School had only been out for a week and he was going to be leaving. And it was the summer before his grad year, the last summer of high school and before university. He didn't even want to think of what he was going to do then. Magnus would have to spend the next summer trying to sort out his life, this summer was supposed to be the best.

Jessamine looked bored, she was sipping a sparkling soda and examining her flawless nails. Magnus wasn't sure why he called her, there was going to be no sympathy coming from her end. She could be rather self-centered and only got on well with Magnus because of their shared hate for sports, dirt and sweat.

Camille on the other hand was eyeing him warily now, "What do you mean? C'mon Magnus, cheer up!" She gave him a halfhearted smile, "We're all pretty hungover right now but there's another party on tonight. We promised this was going to be the best summer right?" Magnus stared at her, taking in her pale skin, her stark white teeth and blonde hair. She was beautiful and they'd tried dating once before realizing he was gay and the two of them were more friends than anything.

"I won't be here tonight." He confessed and his friends gaped at him, they probably thought the worst. His assumption was confirmed when Will blurted out what was clearly the first thing that had come to mind.

"You're going to kill yourself?!"

"No." Magnus huffed, shaking his head and smiling at the waitress who brought over their fries with a worried look, having overheard their conversation, "Someone wake up Ragnor, this is fucking important."

Jem looked beside him, noticing for the first time that Ragnor had passed out on the table. He poked him, Jem gently trying to wake him up. Jessamine let out a delicate sigh, rolled up the plastic menu and banged Ragnor on the head. The boy jolted up with a start and blinked blearily. He smiled at Magnus and asked innocently, "What did I miss?"

"Magnus is going to kill himself." Will stated confidently, the moment Ragnor had gone to take a sip of water. Getting the desired effect and having Ragnor spit the water all down his front, Will leaned back on his chair and smiled.

Camille shoved some napkins Ragnor's way and turned back to Magnus. "So, why are you really not going to be here tonight?" She looked at him expectantly and he inhaled, everyone waiting for him to drop the bomb.

"I'm going to Texas for the rest of the summer."

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**Let me know in a review if you want me to continue!**

**xx**


	2. Chapter 1

**So here it is, Chapter 1! It's a bit rough and probably needs some serious editing but I just wanted to get it out there. Read and review!**

**PS: Poffertjes are a sort of Dutch pancake.**

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Camille's mouth had yet to close, they were all just staring at him, their mouths hanging open and their eyes wide. He nodded slightly, answering their unspoken question about his seriousness. At least someone understood how deeply terrible it was that he was going away for the entire summer. His parents didn't understand in the slightest. It was just like them to send him away, his mother always being concerned for his 'well being' and his father always being the faceless figure of power. For someone who was rich, he didn't relax a lot. He was a powerful company head who couldn't care less about his son and preferred to send money Magnus' way and be done with it. Not that Magnus or his wardrobe were going to protest. He and Camille would always spend his allowance on ridiculously expensive things, things they hardly needed. Speaking of Camille, she was staring at him still. Will was the first to speak.

"Are you shitting me?"

Jem frowned, "Language Will." His best friend just gave him an irritated glare and Jem kept talking, "Magnus is this for real? Because we need a full explanation and Charlotte is going to kill us if we're home late." He glanced at his watch and continued to wait for Magnus' answer. Charlotte was their foster mom, a strong willed business woman who had met the two and immediately offered them a place to live. Jessamine lived with them too, hating everything about Charlotte and the way their household worked. But she was only seventeen and she wasn't going anywhere, Charlotte would never get rid of her, feeling it was her duty to Jessamine's dead parents (Charlotte's close friends) to take care of their daughter. Charlotte's husband Henry had long since grown used to Charlotte bringing home strays and focussed instead on the technology advances he was making in their basement. The man was a genius, but in Magnus' opinion wasn't the slightest bit mad. Henry was one of the few people Magnus liked to hear talk, because he had a way of explaining and suggesting the impossible that was inspiring.

"Magnus?" Jessamine was waving a pale hand in front of his face, "Are you going to explain or are we going to have to torture the information out of you?"

Not sure whether or not he should laugh at that, Will was but Jem seemed to be taking her very seriously, Magnus sighed. "It's complicated. I don't even know that much myself. All I know is that my wonderful mother surprised me with three suitcases and a plane ticket this morning." Camille was staring at the table and Magnus' rapidly cooling fries. Ragnor still seemed speechless but had a look of sympathy in his eyes. Camille's parents spoiled her rotten and Charlotte loved the other three to pieces, so only Ragnor really understood what he was going through. It was hard to hear that your parents didn't really want you around, but it was commonplace for Ragnor.

"So," Camille picked at her napkin, shredding it between slim fingers, "When do you leave?"

"Tonight." Magnus said softly, "I have to pack as soon as I get home."

Camille sighed slightly, "You'll call us? All the time?"

"What else am I going to do?" He asked, grabbing her hand with a smile. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what he was going to do for the entire three months of summer but he hoped to god it wasn't farming. If he had to shovel even the slightest bit of poo he was going to throw a fit. She gave him a small smile and he released her hands. Magnus looked around the table, taking in his friends one last time.

"I don't want you to go." Ragnor admitted, "It won't be as much fun without you here." Ragnor and Magnus met eyes, having been friends for so much longer than the others it would be the weirdest for the two of them to say goodbye for so long.

Biting back another lengthy sigh, Magnus said "I don't want to go either, but my mum isn't giving me much of a choice." He stood up slowly, his chair grinding on the linoleum and making a terrible squeaking, Camille flinching at the noise. He stretched, cracking his neck and making Camille squirm. Their relationship probably didn't work out because he was always trying to bug her, he thought with a slight smirk.

"Where are you going?" Jessamine looked slightly offended, "You just got here! Not to mention you forced us all to come here hungover, dropped a major bombshell and didn't even offer me one of your fries!" Grabbing one of the fries in question, she covered it in ketchup and bit into it aggressively.

Magnus rolled his eyes and pushed the plate closer to her, "I have to go and pack remember?"

"Need any help?"

Smiling at Camille he shook his head, "You lot go home and sleep, you look like you could use it."

Licking her fingers, Jessamine waved him off, "Get going! You have better shit to do than stand around all day saying goodbye." The others rolled their eyes at her but waved goodbye. Camille and Ragnor gave him hugs, getting out of their seats. Camille lingered for a second, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes and sighing.

"Gonna miss you," She said, "Ragnor is no fun shopping."

"I am too fun!" Ragnor said, dragging her away from Magnus and pulling him in for a hug. In traditional Ragnor fashion, he patted Magnus' back twice and gave his hair a slight tug. Jem grasped his shoulder, squeezing it slightly and giving him a kind smile. Will ruffled his hair just to bug him and smacked his back for good measure. Jessamine just licked her fingertips and winked at him, grabbing another fry and waggling her fingers. Glad they tried to keep from getting sappy, Magnus gave them all a friendly wave and left the restaurant.

He turned, right before opening the door and waved at the waitress, giving her a smile and slapping a tenner on one of the tables to pay for the fries. She noticed and nodded at him, walking over to grab the money. Magnus reached for the handle, yanking the door open and embracing the warm air, slightly musty and full of car fumes. The noises of the city rushed at him and he began to walk home. He walked past the window where his friends were sitting and slammed a palm against the window.

They looked up with a start, laughing and waving at him. He made faces at them and waved. The image of his friends all sitting there - smiling, waving and laughing with Camille blowing Magnus kisses - was enough to make him smile and forget about the trip. Blowing them all a kiss, Camille giving him a kind smile and all the guys imitating him, he turned away and walked briskly home.

The second he got close to the house Magnus could practically smell his mother's frustration. Checking his hair in the front window, Magnus fished around in his pockets for his key. Before he could manage to squeeze it out of his skin tight pockets, the door opened. His mother was standing there, one hand on her hip and the other gripping the door so hard her knuckles were white.

"Where the hell were you?"

Not going to let her tone or glare phase him, Magnus walked past his mother and said, "So you didn't get my note?" She slammed the door, the sound echoing through the front hallway.

"Oh I got the note." She said snarkily, digging into her apron pocket for the piece of paper. Magnus stared at his mother for a second, her perfect bun, lack of jewellery and that weird half apron she always wore. It was stark white, never getting stained while she cooked or cleaned and stopped at her waist, tied behind her back. "Dear mum," She read out, "I'm going out. I will pack my bags as soon as I get back, Magnus." She crumpled up the note, "For once Magnus, just leave through the front door and tell me where you're going."

He grinned, "But that takes all the adventure and fun out of it."

Her eyes widened and the moment he thought he was going to get a lecture, she just blew some air out of her mouth and brushed a non-existent stray hair out of her eyes. "Just pack your bags Magnus, I give up." She wiped her hands delicately on her apron and walked back down the hall to the kitchen. Magnus watched her go, frozen in the front hall briefly. He felt like he should say sorry, but couldn't bring himself to get over his pride. He made a mental pact to be nicer to her in the short time before he left, for her sake at least.

He rushed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Shoving his iPhone into his speaker, he cranked the radio and started to grab things he might need. He started with the basics, toothbrush and the like. Once he had filled a tiny portion of the first suitcase with actually necessities, Magnus started to fill the other two. He tried to imagine the kind of clothes he was going to need, tossing all sorts of different tops and pants into the suitcases.

He held up a bathing suit, wondering if there was anywhere decent to swim in whatever god-forsaken town his mother was sending him to. Magnus decided to pack it, throwing it into one of the suitcases and finally trying to close the bags. After sitting on them and managing to just close the zipper, he started to look for things to take in his carry-on.

Magnus had opted to pack his laptop, but took a sketchbook with him. He loved to draw, more specifically design. He was determined to go to university for fashion and found thorough amusement through planning what he would put on the runway.

Finally ready to leave, Magnus glanced at his room once more and grabbed his phone. Cramming it into his pocket, giving his hair and eyeliner one last touch-up, and dragging the suitcases off the bed he opened the door. His mother was there and smiled upon seeing his bags.

"Those are ready to burst." She said, biting back a laugh. Magnus grinned with her, noting how ridiculous they looked. The two of them took the bags down to the front door. Magnus eyed the clock, he still had a good half an hour before he had to leave. Getting ready to just sit and wait, his mother touched his arm. "I have something for you." He raised an eyebrow and she led him into the dining room.

It was just off the kitchen, modern and sleek. Everything was spotless and it looked more like an IKEA catalog than an actually lived in room. The only things out of place were the present and meal sitting on the table. Magnus slid into the chair in front of them. His mother's homemade poffertjes were arranged on a pristine, white plate. He looked at her and she smiled, stroking his hair slightly.

"I know it's your favorite." She said, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know you don't want to go on this trip and I don't like forcing you. We just think you need to get away, grow into yourself a little and have an adventure that doesn't involve loud music and alcohol." Looking like she wanted to say more, Magnus interrupted her.

"I'm not really mad at you." He said, Magnus was mad of course, but taking it out on his mother just seemed cruel. She didn't really want to hurt him, she just did. "They look great." He gave her a smile, even though it was half-hearted and probably looked like he was trying not to throw up, it made her smile double in size. She rushed to the kitchen and grabbed him a glass of water.

He was eating his poffertjes when she called from the kitchen, "Open the package!"

Magnus smiled at his mother when she walked back into the dining room. She set the glass in front of him and sat down. Gesturing to the parcel, she waited patiently for him to open it. Swallowing his mouthful of food, he grinned cheekily, "What is it?"

"Just open it!"

He nodded and ripped off the colourful paper. Magnus' mouth dropped open and he stared at his mother in complete shock. "You're kidding me right."

She shook her head, smiling at him like a maniac, "It's a brand new camera and the professional kind so you can take pictures of all the clothes you like making so much." She had barely finished before he'd jumped up and thrown his arms around her. Clapping his hands like a little kid he tore open the box. Grabbing the camera and quickly adjusting the lens he held it up and quickly snapped a photo of his mother smiling.

Her smile fell, "Magnus! That photo must look terrible!" She tried to grab the camera from him but he held it out of reach and took another bite of his poffertjes. Glancing at the small camera screen he smiled at her and slung the camera strap around his neck.

"It looks beautiful." He sat down, scarfing down the food. His mother shook her head and folded her hands in her lap.

"Magnus, you're going to be staying with a friend of mine, her name is Maryse. Her husband's name is Robert and they have a farm out Texas. They also have four children-"

Magnus practically choked on his food, "Four?!" He just looked at his mother incredulously, "They have four children?" The fear of having to share a room with a bunch of kids or worse, having a bunch of young kids bugging him day and night, suddenly washed over Magnus.

His mother sighed, "Yes, there are four kids, Alec - he's your age, Isabelle and Jace are both sixteen and Max is nine. Don't give me that look, you won't be sharing a room with any of them."

"But I'll be sharing a house with them. I can't believe you waited until now to tell me!"

Now his mother glared at him, "I would have told you earlier but you rushed out of the house." She sighed, "Magnus just try and be good. Maryse is being kind and letting you stay with her. Return the favour."

Magnus huffed, finishing his meal and quickly drinking his water. Almost as soon as he was done there was a knock on the door.

His mother gasped and rushed answer, "C'mon Magnus, that'll be the cab." He walked into the foyer to find her handing one of his bags to the cabbie and hauling the other out the door. Helping her and grabbing the last bag himself, he left the house.

Armed with just his luggage and camera, ready to face whatever this summer trip was going to throw at him, Magnus gave his mother a hug. He wasn't in a good mood, he didn't want to travel across the country to live with a bunch of hillbilly children.

"Bye." His mother said quietly, giving him a smile, "Try and have fun. Take lots of pictures for me." He nodded and got into the cab, slamming the door and winding down the window to wave at her one last time.

"Bye mum." Magnus called, turning around to take a quick picture of her standing in front of the house waving. She turned around to go back inside and Magnus settled down for the drive to the airport.

Once he actually got to the airport, he realized how long he was going to have to wait before this whole damn adventure started. Growing irritable in the line to check in his bags, Magnus texted Camille about the whole ordeal.

Magnus: guess what

Camille: what?

Magnus: they have four children. four fucking children

Camille: omg

Magnus: ikr

Camille: okay enough texting talk...we're not 12

Magnus: agreed

Camille: but still... what are you going to do?

Magnus: i have no idea

Waiting for Camille's response, Magnus moved up in the line and finally got called over the check in his bags. He charged the extra bag fee to his credit card and tucked his boarding pass in his pocket. Noticing he didn't have a lot of time, Magnus rushed over to the gate area and sat down. Camille hadn't responded so Magnus disappointedly decided to get a snack. After having a brief fight with a vending machine and needing the assistance of a nearby eight year-old, Magnus sat back down with a Kit-Kat in hand. Laying the wrapper in his lap and breaking off a piece, he busied himself with Temple Run.

"Whatcha' doin'?" Magnus jumped, it was the kid from the vending machine. He had sort of shaggy brown hair and green eyes. He was a cute kid, but a little on the creepy side. The kid slid into the seat next to Magnus and watched him play the game.

"It's called Temple Run."

"It looks fun."

Sighing, he restarted the game and held it out to the kid, "Do you want to play?"

"Sure!" The kid grabbed the phone, scooting closer to Magnus and smiling at him, his front teeth both missing. "My name's Julian but everyone calls me Jules."

"Well, Jules," Magnus said, smiling, "The object of the game is not to die."

Jules snorted, "Obviously."

Liking the kid more by the minute, Magnus quickly went over the rules and controls, pointing to different things on the screen. Nodding every time Magnus said something, Jules was rapt. After about ten minutes of playing with Magnus' guidance, a voice called Jules away.

Magnus' companion whipped his head around at the sound of a young girl's voice, "Jules? What are you doing? We have to board soon." She looked like she was Jules' age, but much more mature. She had blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Magnus raised his eyebrows slightly at the long scar on her forearm but didn't say anything, just waved.

"I'm playing a game." He held up the phone for proof, waving it a bit, "This is Magnus. Magnus, this is my best friend Emma." He waved again, getting a small smile out of the girl.

She reached for Jules' hand, "We have to go though." He nodded and handed Magnus his phone back. Magnus stopped him before he left.

"Hey, here." He handed him what was left of the Kit-Kat, the kids' eyes lighting up, "You deserve it."

Jules gave him a gap-toothed grin, "Thanks."

Magnus nodded and watched the two run back over to a girl with Jules' green eyes and ridiculously light blonde hair. She gave him a small wave that he returned, tucking his phone away and getting in line to get on the plane. The line moved surprising quick and before Magnus knew it he was settling in for a long flight on a hard seat.

The flight attendants were nice and annoyingly bubbly, they handed him drinks and tried to strike up a conversation. He stuck in his headphones, listened to some music and started to draw. First he drew a dress, but it ended up looking bland and generic. The lack of inspiration made him groan and he ended up spending the flight watching a really bad German movie. It was a situation that made Magnus want to bang his head on the tray table. The movie was terrible, there were subtitles that Magnus was almost positive were wrong and the characters spoke their lines like they'd forgotten them. But he was desperate to find out how it ended and had to watch the entire two and a half hour movie.

Once it was over he just turned to the woman next to him, "I've just wasted almost three hours of my life." He said, frowning slightly and staring blankly at the screen. She giggled and little and he groaned.

"Was it worth it?" She asked, trying to hold back her laughter.

He raised an eyebrow, "No, like I said, it was a total waste of time."

"You didn't like the way Adrian and Gabi got together in the end?"

"No-" He stopped suddenly, "Oh my god." She laughed again, "You've seen it before? And you let me suffer through that whole movie?"

"Pretty much." He laughed now too, the absolute ridiculousness getting to him, "My name's Rebecca by the way."

"Magnus." He shook her hand, still slightly giddy. "Please tell me this flight is going to be over soon."

She gave him a grin, "You're in luck. You can watch that movie again and then it should be over. You have just enough time to witness the awkward courtyard scene one more time. It was the highlight of the movie for me."

"You're kidding me right."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes, "Sleep kiddo. You might as well, all the other movies are shit. I'll wake you up like fifteen minutes before landing."

He grinned, "You're the best. I just met you and we're going to be best friends."

"Judging by the New York accent, we won't get a chance. Who're you visiting? Family?"

Leaning back in his chair he shook his head, "Forced vacation. I was partying a lot and my mum got sick of it. I'm officially staying with strangers for the summer."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, some random family called the Lightwoods."

Rebecca almost choked on her drink, "The Lightwoods?" She smiled, "What are the chances. My brother is friends with them, they're practically our neighbours. Maybe we can be friends. Well, other than the fact I'm a lot older than you."

"No sweat," He said, "I don't really play for your team. Wait. Repeat what you just said."

"Maybe we can be friends?"

"No," Magnus said, "The Lightwoods. You know them? Are they nice? Are they weird? Am I going to be shovelling poop?"

Rebecca laughed, "The Lightwoods are pretty nice, traditional but nice. They're not super weird though I'm not sure about the kids. They can be kind of strange. Loveable though. And there will be little to no shovelling of poop."

Magnus sighed, "Good, now with the knowledge that we're going to talk again, I'm going to sleep and take you up on that offer."

True to her word, she woke him up a few hours later and he had a few minutes to spare. He went to the bathroom, waving to Jules and Emma on the way. They gave him some drowsy smiles, their eyes barely leaving the screens in front of them. Magnus checked his hair in the bathroom mirror and ended up doodling for the last few minutes of the flight.

He and Rebecca talked for a little bit, walking off the plane together. Rebecca raised an eyebrow at Magnus' three bags and he gave her a cheeky smile.

"The country life is gonna hit you hard, big city boy."

They joked around a bit more, saying goodbye when a tiny woman with curly hair waved Rebecca over. Before she left, she pointed at a woman in the crowd and whispered, "That's Maryse."

Magnus nodded his thanks and made his way over to the woman, noticing a sign in her hand that said his name in clear bold print. She had impressively blue eyes and black hair. There was something about her that demanded respect, but she looked surprisingly laid back in her jeans and unwrinkled black shirt.

"Hi," He said, shifting his feet awkwardly, "I'm Magnus." He nodded at her sign and she lit up.

"Hello Magnus." She gave him a small smile, "I'm your mum's friend Maryse as you might have guessed. Have you gotten your bags yet?"

He gestured to the three bags, "Uh, yep."

She laughed, "You're mother wasn't kidding about you was she?" Maryse grabbed one of the bags and pulled it along with ease, "C'mon Magnus, the truck is this way."

He followed her out, a wave of heat hitting him instantly. The sun was burning hot, though the air was cleaner and fresher than New York by a long shot. Magnus breathed it in, letting the sun warm his face and squinting his eyes at the light.

Maryse was waiting for him, he got the feeling she wasn't a patient woman, her foot tapping gently on the pavement.

"So have you gotten over this whole silence thing?" She asked, "Your mum mentioned that you were sulking on the phone. Is that going to continue on?"

He'd forgotten about dreading the summer without his friends, stuck between hating the summer and taking it as an adventure, he decided on the first. "Yes," Magnus huffed, "Restarting now."

She laughed, "Well, the truck's over here. If you're not too stubborn we can get in and I'll drive us home."

He shook his head.

"Right, not your home." Maryse said, "You'll get over that soon. You might think that this whole teenager thing is going to send you home. But it's not." She led the way over to the car, "It's just going to force me to try and make this fun for you. I will give you a week. You can sulk for a week and then I'm going to make you shovel poop."

His eyes widened and Maryse gave him a grin.

"We have a deal?"

Magnus took her offered hand and shook it. He was allowed one week of sulking in silence and then he would get his act together. Magnus figured that was pretty fair. They got into the truck, her loading his bags into the back and the two of them sliding into the cab. Maryse turned on the radio to some country. Wrinkling his nose, Magnus looked out the window and quickly brought up his camera to grab a photo. Cursing himself for not taking a picture of Rebecca, he grabbed a few of the scenery and even one of Maryse driving.

"Your silence is never going to bother me." Maryse warned him, her eyes flickering to him for a second before refocusing on the dirt road in front of them. "My eldest spent eight months without speaking when he was twelve." Magnus' eyes widened considerably, "I still have no idea why." She continued, "He just stopped talking one day and then started again eight months later."

They got to a fork and she turned left, Magnus noting that right looked to be the way into town. Following his gaze, Maryse explained, "The house is about twenty minutes from town. Walking takes longer obviously, but we don't do that often. I don't go to town everyday and we sometimes only go once a week."

Magnus tried to imagine a trip into 'town' - a small middle-of-nowhere strip of useless stores - being a big deal. He tried to imagine going a week without shopping and then realized he was going to have to go three months without anything remotely like his home. Shaking his head and going back to capturing the moment, Magnus turned on his camera and tried to busy himself. Twenty minutes of rolling farmland and country music later, they pulled up to a beautiful house.

Maryse just got out of the truck and headed around to grab his bags, but Magnus just stood there for a moment. He'd expected something rundown, probably rustic. But in front of him was the most beautiful ranch house. It was surrounded by green farmland and had an amazing garden that was overflowing with plants. He could see horses in the pasture to the side of the house and could hear a river nearby. The house was a stark white, not dirtied by the dirty of the road and had a brown roof. There was a wrap around deck and pristine windows shining in the afternoon sun. Whipping out his camera, Magnus took more than a dozen pictures of the house. There was something about it that was dreamy. He could imagine living in the country if he could live like this, it was charming and had enough country elements to feel like a house on a farm.

He turned around to see Maryse smiling at him and holding one of his bags. Magnus rushed to grab the other and she laughed at the look on his face, "Welcome to your home for the next three months, Magnus Bane."

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**So there we are! The end of Chapter 1. There wasn't any Alec (cries softly), but he'll be making an appearance very soon. The whole sulking thing is actually something that happened with my parents and I so it's not totally weird... but it's very weird. **

**xx**


	3. Chapter 2

**Here it is! Sorry for the wait. As a reward...Alec makes his awkwardly adorable appearance in this chapter! Read and review!**

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"So," Maryse said, "This is your room. It's got a bed, a desk, a bookshelf, a walk-in closet, a beanbag chair and an en-suite bathroom." She turned to look at him with a smile, "Does this look okay?"

His mouth open, Magnus nodded. She set down the bag she'd carried up next to the door, she gave him another warm smile and walked out, closing the door behind her. There was a faint 'click' and Magnus was alone. He stared at the room, mentally laughing at his past-self for fearing that he might have to share a room. The house was enormous and his room matched.

There was a huge window facing the backyard, he noted the surprising amount of both farmland and forest. The window had a window seat, perfect for his drawing and covered in wonderful colour coordinated pillows. They went well with the enormous puffy bed that was the centrepiece of the room. Magnus allowed himself a brief moment of childish delight when he launched himself onto the bed and let the pillows surround him and the comfort of the bed block out the world for a moment. He laughed and rolled off, sliding across the perfect hardwood floors to check out the bathroom. It was impressive, beautiful marble counters and a shower that Magnus could have shared with ten people. Magnus tried to hide his grin, it was hard to sulk in an awesome room that he was allowed to have for the next three months.

But then everything hit him. He was going to be here for three months. The trip had seemed almost impossible and dreamlike until this point. He'd spent the time torn between having fun and making it an adventure for his mum's sake, and sulking to give him the righteous pleasure of being miserable. Magnus had a week of sulking, that was the deal he'd made with Maryse.

But was a week enough? Was it too much?

Magnus sat down on the comforter, running his hands over the soft material and trying not to cry. He didn't know what to do. He was being torn in two and he had no one to consult. He'd ask Camille but he didn't have the wifi password and there was no phone in his room. Not to mention the hissy fit his mother would throw if she got a big phone bill at the end of the month. Magnus was alone and he wasn't sure he liked his options. The idea of going down there and just trying to join in with the Lightwoods made him kind of ill, because he wanted a moment to be alone and bathe in the self pity. But the idea of sitting alone in this room for three months looked bleaker. He took a deep breath and shook his head. He didn't have to decide right now, he'd wait the week and then make his move.

At some point he fell asleep and by the time he woke up, it was just past seven. There was a blanket on him, carefully draped over him. A meal was also sitting on his desk, a cover to keep it warm and a note saying he could always help himself to something if he was still hungry or wanted anything anytime. Smiling at the note and assuming it was Maryse, he sat in the soft leather chair and started to eat. Magnus opened up one of the fashion books he'd brought, propping it open with one hand and shovelling homemade beef stew into his mouth with the other. When he was done he simply stacked his dishes, set them to the side and dug his art supplies out of his bags.

He drew late into the night, getting some inspiration from the homesickness. He drew almost an entire line that revolved around Camille's eyes. There was a dash of Will in there too, though Magnus would never admit that he missed the arrogant teen. He cracked open his pencil crayons, colouring in the outfits and hearing Camille's laugh while he added a bright gash of green to a stark white cocktail dress. He didn't think he'd miss his friend this much. Ragnor always said that they should be more sentimental, but the rest of them had laughed - with the exception of Jem, who rarely laughed at a friend's expense - (never was just too strong a word). But sitting at his desk, in the middle of Texas, he wished his friends were a little more sentimental, the blown kisses and the hugs bringing a smile to his face. But the lack of seriousness in their goodbyes felt a little frivolous and it made him sadder than he'd care to admit. Magnus added some darker tones to the outfits, trying to give them some dimension. Frustrated with their lack of depth, he put his pencils away and ran a hand through his tousled hair.

Considering how late it was getting, Magnus jumped into the shower for what must have been more than an hour. It was amazing, Magnus being one of those people who loved long showers and considered a short one to be a felony. He rubbed off his makeup and combed the gel out of his hair. Clad only in his boxers - he wouldn't dare sleep in the nude at a place where he was a guest - Magnus went to bed. He turned off his light and tried not to think too hard about what tomorrow was going to be like.

Tomorrow was boring.

Magnus sat at his desk drawing. There were small knocks on the door for meals and by the time he opened the door, Maryse was gone and there was a small tray of food in the hall. The notes on the trays told him to just leave his dishes in the hall. Feeling awfully like he was staying in a hotel, Magnus continued to draw and colour. He sketched for hours by the window, loving the light and barely even needing to look out of the window for inspiration. A sudden shrill cry caught his attention and he almost dropped his sketchbook.

He looked out the window. The Lightwoods were outside. More specifically, the Lightwood children. Magnus scowled at them from his perch. The three of them looked spectacularly happy. He'd dreamed of having a sibling when he was a kid, but had accepted that it was never going to happen.

The youngest was adorable, he had huge glasses that filled his face and a mop of black hair that was just getting slightly too long. He was being chased by what must have been his sister, the same back hair and gorgeous porcelain skin. She was laughing and running after him with her arms our. He was laughing in a high child's voice, both their voices muffled by the window. Watching them was a tanned, golden haired boy. He was watching them fondly and laughing. There was a drink in his hand and he sipped it occasionally. He tried to remember what he knew about the siblings, which was very little. He couldn't even remember the names his mother had tried to tell him. But Magnus had been almost certain there were four. Magnus noted that the golden haired boy was talking to someone, Magnus couldn't see him because of the angle of his window and where the person was standing. He had to assume it was Robert, Maryse's husband or the mystery sibling.

Suddenly Maryse walked into view, brushing her hands off on her jeans and shaking her head at her children. She was telling them something, the girl and boy stopping their game of chase. The sister grabbed her little brother by the waist and placed a soft kiss into his hair. He laughed and squirmed out of her grip. They all followed Maryse inside, the brother even ruffling the little boy's hair. It made Magnus' stomach clench. He loved his friends but had always wanted a sibling. There was something unique about it, having someone who would always be there.

He shook his head and went back to his drawings, making a mental note to get a haircut soon. His hair kept falling into his eyes and it was getting annoying. Hoping that this bizarre town had a hairdresser that wouldn't ruin his wonderful style and make him the social outcast of his high school, Magnus brushed another lock behind his ear. He got further into his drawings, concentrating on the colours and the styles. He drew some flowing dresses, thinking of the wind in the fields.

There was a soft knock on the door. Magnus knew that would be his lunch and he rushed to the door, wanted to ask Maryse about getting a haircut. He threw the door open and met the surprised eyes of a boy his own age.

His mouth fell open.

Somewhere in Magnus' brain, there was a voice screaming at him to stop being so socially awkward. But he was so completely taken by this boy. This stupid country boy who was just standing there confused. This stupid boy who was wearing black and unfashionable clothes that should have had him dying of heat stroke. The stupid boy who was staring at him with those amazing blue eyes.

"Sorry." Magnus blurted, trying to get a hold of his racing mind, "I thought you were Maryse." He realized how weird he probably sounded and tried to ignore the fact that the hottest boy on the planet was looking at him like he was insane.

But the boy suddenly stopped, nodded his head and smiled. Magnus wondered if this was the kid that didn't talk for eight months because he certainly wasn't saying anything now. The boy seemed to have noticed this too and blushed a deep scarlet. Clearing his throat, the boy spoke sheepishly, "Uh, yeah. My mum's downstairs. Do you want me to go get her?" He pointed to the staircase over his shoulder, meeting Magnus' eyes and flushing an even deeper red. Magnus bit back a grin. The boy just got cuter and cuter. Said cute boy was now staring at his feet and biting his bottom lip.

"Nah," Magnus said, waving him off, "It's fine."

The boy nodded, "Right." He suddenly looked up, "Uh, I'm Alec." He stuck out a hand quickly, looking stiff and uncomfortable. He gave off the aura of someone who hated talking to people and only did it because he had to.

Magnus felt a sudden need to have Alec like him, "I'm Magnus." He grabbed the boy's hand and shook it, revelling in the feeling of the boy's rough hand in his own.

Alec laughed a little, the musical noise making Magnus weak in the knees. "I know. I've been bringing you food remember."

"That's you?"

"Oh. Yeah." Alec blushed again, suddenly shy. "Everything's okay right? I noticed you seemed to like Coke the best so I started bringing it more often."

Magnus had noticed the he'd done that. But he'd assumed it was Maryse. The kind notes, the quiet observation, it all seemed like the actions of a mother. But Alec was his mystery food guy and he was cute, young and apparently really considerate.

"Thanks for everything." Magnus said, giving Alec a warm smile. "I love the room and I don't want to be rude. I just kind of want to be alone for a bit. Get my thoughts together and mentally prepare myself and stuff."

Alec just nodded, "Well, if you ever want a tour or something I could drive you into town." He suddenly got all flustered and started to ramble, "But, that's only if you want, I mean if you don't want me to than that's fine. I don't want you to feel like you have to-"

Magnus cut him off with a smile, "Sure, maybe in a few days?"

"Sure." Alec smiled a little bit, "Sounds good. Do you need anything?" He was looking a bit more comfortable now and it made Magnus' heart swell.

"Nothing really," He shrugged, "I just wish I could talk to my friends. I think I'm going to go crazy sitting in this room. But at the same time I don't think I'm ready yet." Magnus laughed a little, "I probably sound crazy." He was the awkward one now, staring at his feet and wishing he hadn't sounded like such a lunatic in front of the cutest boy Texas could have ever offered.

But when he looked up Alec was just nodding thoughtfully, "I know what you mean." He bit his lip and suddenly held up one finger. "Wait here for one second." He rushed off, running down the hall and into one of the doors. Magnus noted that they actually had names on them, starting with 'Jace' closest to him and 'Max' furthest away. 'Isabelle' was right next to 'Alec' and across from them all (next to Magnus' room) was an unmarked door that Magnus had to imagine was another guest room or Maryse and Robert's room. He tapped a finger absently on the doorframe while he waited for Alec.

Alec came running out of his room, skidded to a stop in front of Magnus and presented him with something. There was a broad smile on his face and he was watching Magnus excitedly. Magnus grabbed the object and felt his mouth stretch into a smile. It was a cell phone. A sleek, probably brand new phone that looked pretty expensive.

Suddenly his smile disappeared, "Alec." He said, holding the phone back out to him, "I can't use this. It will cost a ton to call New York." Alec shook his head and closed Magnus' hand around the phone.

"Don't worry about it."

Magnus' mouth fell open, "You're kidding me. You want me to just run up your phone bill talking to my friends across the country?" This boy couldn't be serious. There had to be some limit to Southern hospitality. Magnus would have assumed that enormous phone bills were that limit. Alec was looking at him with smile, almost laughing at Magnus' disbelief.

He shrugged his shoulders, "My parents are pretty rich, even if you talked on that phone for hours it would be fine. Oh, do you have a pen?" Alec's fingers were twitching, probably a nervous habit. They would tap against his leg slightly and Magnus noticed after a few moments.

"Uh, yeah."

He handed Alec a pen, watching him confused. He grabbed Magnus hand and scribbled a random series of letters and numbers on it. "That's the wifi password."

Magnus laughed, staring at the small neat writing. "You, Mr Lightwood, are an angel. I could kiss you." He meant it as a joke, but the words had Alec blushing and hastily retreating, giving Magnus a wave and rushing into his room. He closed the door behind him quickly and within a heartbeat Magnus found himself staring at an empty hallway and a neatly presented sandwich. There was a Coke, a small note that said 'Bon Appetit!" and a fresh apple. He gently picked up the tray and went back into his room, phone in hand. Magnus closed the door with his foot and switched the tray for his sketchbook. Suddenly inspired, he started to draw.

He drew the blush on Alec's cheeks and the blue of his eyes. He incorporated everything into the clothes, from the nervous twitches to the brilliant white smile. Magnus found himself smiling as he drew, thinking of the adorable boy with the blue eyes that was across the hall. He ate the sandwich too, careful not to get any food on his drawings.

By the time he's eaten his lunch and finally stopped drawing because his hands are cramping, the sun is low in the sky. Magnus tossed his sketchbook on the desk and grabbed the cellphone Alec gave him. He punches in Camille's number and waits for it to ring.

"Hello?" She sounds confused and Magnus laughs.

"Hey stranger."

He can hear her smile over the phone, "Is that really you?"

Magnus laughs loudly at that, grinning himself and picking at a loose thread on the bottom of his shirt. "Of course it's me. I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere and needed some serious talk time. You will never believe-"

"Where the hell did you get the phone? Isn't this going to cost an insane amount?"

Camille, ever the responsible one, thinks instantly of the cost, "Yeah but the Lightwoods are covering it and they're loaded."

"I see." She sounds wary and Magnus rolls his eyes. "Wait a second." There's a fumbling on the other side and when she talks again her voice is echoing slightly.

"Am I on speaker?" He asks, already knowing the answer. He can see them in his mind's eye, the five of them all sitting in Camille's enormous bedroom. Will will have sat on the bed, lounging back and pretending to sleep and ignore them all. Camille will sit in her ridiculous high-backed chair, examining her makeup in the mirror of her vanity and straightening the bottles and containers that covered its surface. Tessa and Jem will both sit on the bed, Jem sitting near Will because they're never far apart and Tessa perched on the edge because she always feels slightly awkward at their houses. Jessamine will lean against the wall like she's too good to sit and will look at her fingernails all the time, acting bored. Ragnor will most likely sit on the floor because he's odd like that and sometimes he'll sit with Magnus on Camille's plushy, white couch.

There's a flurry of noise on the other side, some cheers and he can hear even Jessamine laughing.

"Hello there." It's Will now, cocky and almost smug sounding. "How's the middle of nowhere treating you?"

"Not bad. How's home?"

Jessamine sighed loudly and Magnus had to bite back a laugh, "It's boring as hell. The party the other night was horrible. Someone spiked the drinks and people were passing out and barfing everywhere. The night ended depressingly early." Magnus found himself nodding, appreciating Jessamine's dramatics for once. It was easy for the others to miss out on the important details. Jessamine always told him exactly how things had happened, with the occasional exaggeration.

"But Jessamine met a cute guy!" Tessa cried, giggling, "She's in love!" Tessa, sounding girly for once, stretched out the 'o' and was making kissy noises over the phone.

Magnus raised his eyebrows, "I thought she had that thing for your brother?" He asked Tessa, surprised that Jessamine had been so quick to move on from Nate, seeing as the two of them had been so serious in the past few months. Jessamine had been crushing on him for years, sneaking out to go to parties where she knew Nate was going to be and eventually buddying up with Tessa. That was how the group had met her, Jessamine trying to get to Nate through his sister and landing the group one of their key members. Magnus would forever thank Jessamine for being a crazy stalker, seeing as it got him another close friend.

"Nothing is happening with Nate." Jessamine sounded slightly put out. "I think he might be a lost cause."

"You're kidding me!" Will screamed.

"Calm the fuck down." Camille protested, "My parents are still here asshole. Have a little consideration."

"Will?" Jem asked, "Consideration for other people? Are you kidding me?"

Magnus laughed, "True Jem. Explain Jessamine."

Will was nodding, Magnus could practically feel it, "Yeah. You've had us stalking Tessa's brother for years and now you're suddenly over him? Liar."

"Fine. I'm not over him okay? I'm just trying to get out there and meet other people because he's clearly not interested."

"I think you just need to be yourself." Tessa said, "I'll try and talk you up and then the two of you just need to talk. You're always so flustered around him."

"Oh my god. He thinks I'm crazy doesn't he?"

"Uh."

"Tessa!"

"There may have been a few questionable stories." Tessa sounded sorry and Magnus could imagine that small smile she always gave when she felt bad for one of them.

There was a thud and Magnus knew that Jessamine must have been standing by the wall and sunk to the floor. Will was laughing loudly and he could hear Ragnor giggling. Ragnor was probably one of the only males Magnus knew that full-on giggled. It was both creepy and adorable in a weird way that Magnus would never be able to fully explain.

"Okay." Camille said, silencing them all which for Magnus meant that she was holding her arms up and giving them all that look. It was a classic Camille look and it got scarier the longer you went without doing what she wanted. "There is a real question that has to be asked here. The issue of Jessamine's love life will have to wait."

"What could be more important than the failed love life of a lonely teenage girl? I thought that was one of the most important things in the world." Will said sarcastically.

Camille sighed, "Obviously not. Can anyone else guess the important question?"

Unsurprisingly, Ragnor was the only one to speak up. His massive crush on Camille probably fueled his need to try and please her. Magnus felt a surge of pity for the other boy. It was hard to love Camille, especially when she wouldn't even give Ragnor a second glance. "I'm guessing it has something to do with Magnus?"

"Yes!" Camille sounded pretty happy and Magnus could hear Ragnor's heart skipping a beat. "It has everything to do with Magnus!"

"Well," Magnus said, smiling widely, "What's the question?"

"How are the Texan men? Any hotties?"

Smirking now, Magnus said the following words with a smug pleasure, "There happens to be a very attractive male right in my house."

"Excuse me?" Jessamine's voice radiated jealousy and Magnus laughed.

"Camille is physically unable to close her mouth." Will said, his voice filled with mirth, "I don't think she will be able to speak for some time."

But at that moment Camille squealed, "How hot?"

"Oh honey," Magnus said, "He's definitely a ten."

Tessa groaned, "You lucky bastard."

"Why is that a good thing?" Jem, bless him, sounded incredibly confused. "Won't it just be kind of awkward? What if they hook up but then break it off?"

"Oh," Jessamine said, "That's not the case. He won't have to work hard to see him, Magnus' hottie will always be right around the corner. And think of all the risky rendezvous they can have, sneaking around. Magnus will have to try and keep a straight face at dinner while they play footsie under the table." She sighed, "You are going to have fun with this boy Magnus."

Ragnor seemed confused too and Magnus laughed, "So, Magnus is going to have fun on his trip because there's a hot boy in the same house."

"Exactly!" Camille shouted, "Now, details! What does he look like? Muscles? Voice?"

Magnus' grin returned, "He lives on a farm Cam. He has glorious muscles but not too much. Just enough so he's not skinny, but he's not a weight lifter."

"Amazing." Will said, his sarcasm reaching impossible levels Camille shushed him instantly and Magnus took that as his cue to continue his description.

"He's got sort of shaggy black hair, the most amazing blue eyes. He has a deep voice that's all smooth and makes you weak in the knees."

"Oh Jesus." Jessamine said, "I want one."

"Don't we all." Tessa said, her voice taking that tone it always did when she smiled.

Camille sighed, "Is he gay?"

Magnus frowned, "I have no idea. Not that I can't change his mind."

"You're going to change his sexuality?" Ragnor sounded deeply disturbed, "No offense, but I don't think it works like that. You can't make gay people straight so I don't think you can make straight people gay."

"Not like that," Magnus said, "I think he's gay but in the closet. He was a bit too embarrased when I smiled at him and he practically asked me out. Not to mention the blushing."

"He blushed?" Camille sounded eager.

"Like a little school girl."

All the girls laughed and Tessa cheered.

"What?" Jem asked, though Magnus could tell that he was smiling too.

"No straight guy would be that embarrassed during a normal conversation," Camille explained, "Even in a conversation with Magnus."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're gayer than a pride parade sweet cheeks." Camille said, "And the blush probably means a crush. Which means-"

"He's probably gay." Jessamine finished.

Magnus tapped his fingers lazily on his leg, smiling and thinking about how adorable Alec was. His smile faded when Camille announced that they should probably go.

"It's fine." He said, trying to sound upbeat and indifferent. Magnus had almost forgotten how far away they were and how much he missed them. It was easy to talk to his friends and get lost in the moment.

"Sorry," Camille said, taking him off speakerphone, "There's a party tonight and I want to make sure Jessamine looks delectable in case a certain someone shows up-"

Magnus cut her off, "I get it. I just miss you guys I guess."

"We miss you too."

He smiled, "Hey say 'hi' to everyone for me. And have fun."

"I'll try my best." She said softly, "We really miss you like crazy. Say 'hi' to your hottie for us." Magnus laughed, loving even the idea of Alec being his hottie and hoping that he could make something of that.

"He's not mine yet."

"But he will be." Camille sounded as confident as Magnus wished he felt.

Too soon he was calling goodbye and hearing everyone holler it back. They hung up and Magnus was stuck listening to the dial tone. He checked the time and was relieved to see that he hadn't been talking for hours. He was going to take advantage of being able to talk to his friends but Magnus didn't want to abuse the Lightwoods' generosity.

Magnus leaned back on his window seat, resting his head against the cool glass and smiling softly. He didn't want to tell his friends but he had no intention of having a summer fling with Alec. He'd flirt with him a little, but there was no way Magnus was going to get into a serious relationship with someone who lived so far away. He knew himself and he knew that if he started something he'd just end up with a broken heart and a hatred for the guy who thought he could do it without getting attached. So he made a promise to himself, he wasn't going to fall for Alec, no matter how cute his Texas accent was and no matter how many adorable notes Alec left Magnus. But looking out the window, Magnus knew deep down that he was going to break that promise.

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**Oh Magnus. You're never going to be able to keep that promise. **

**Anyways, let me know what you thought. I'll try and get a chapter up at least every week! **

**xx**


	4. Chapter 3

**A bit shorter and a lot later then I'd hoped but I actually struggled to write this one. I don't know why I included this much Max, I seriously can't write for him. But whatever, enjoy! Read and review to let me know what you thought. **

* * *

Magnus was jolted out of his daze by a knock on the door. He wandered over to open it, his mind battling itself. On the one hand he was hoping it was Alec and on the other he was trying to convince himself that he wasn't going to fall for Alec. He wasn't sure what he was feeling by the time he actually opened the door. It wasn't Alec though, it was Maryse. She was standing there with a smile on her face.

"I know your week of sulking isn't up yet but I heard you talking to Alec earlier." She gave him a hopeful look, "Would you like to join us for dinner? Alec's just putting the final touches on the pasta and then we can eat."

Magnus looked at his room for a second and then turned to her, a smile on his face as well. "I think that might be nice. A bit of company is overdue."

He closed the door behind him and followed Maryse down the stairs. He quickly looked at his clothes and decided that he looked nice enough for a simple family dinner. He blushed at the thought of playing footsie with Alec under the table and cursed Jessamine for putting that thought into his head. Magnus noticed that they took a different staircase from when he first arrived, the one they'd taken from the front door having lead them straight upstairs and the one they were taking now stopped on a small landing and then went down into the kitchen and dining room. The two rooms were separated only by a high counter with four barstools.

When they got there the four Lightwood kids were there. Alec saw Magnus coming down the stairs and gave him a beaming smile that Magnus couldn't help but return. Oh, the things that boy's smile did to him. He focussed on the other siblings for a moment, having the opportunity to finally see them up close.

The young boy was hiding bright grey eyes behind his glasses and was far skinnier than both his brothers. He was a lot shorter than the others and had the same nervous energy that Alec carried with him. He was setting out plates with his sister, who was beautiful up close.

She turned to Magnus and smiled, her straight, shiny black hair framing a pale, skinny face that had the same angular cheekbones as her two brothers but black eyes that shone underneath thick black lashes. "I'm Isabelle." She said, her Texas accent wasn't as strong as Alec's or Maryse's and only appeared at the end of her introduction.

"Magnus."

Isabelle gave him the same laughing grin that Alec had given him, "I know. You've been living upstairs for god's sake." When she smiled like that Magnus could see the obvious family resemblance. It was something he'd never seen between him and his mother and something he'd always wanted to have. Magnus thought it was sort of amazing, to look so much like someone else but only in the right light, only in the right moments.

He laughed too, "Right. I keep forgetting that."

The blonde boy snorted, "Well, here I was worrying about your intelligence. Clearly my worries were misplaced." Trying not to take offense to anything he said, Magnus noticed immediately that he looked nothing like the rest of the family. He was tanned, blonde and had luminous golden eyes. It was a stark contrast and Magnus was left assuming that Robert looked very similar or this Lightwood was adopted. From far away Magnus hadn't paid much attention to the blonde hair. But now that he was looking at them closer, there was no resemblance whatsoever.

"That's Jace." Alec explained, walking over to the table with cutlery. Magnus held out his hand and Alec handed him the forks. The two of them made their way around the table, Magnus following Alec's lead and placing the utensils on the pristine cloth placemats.

"Just ignore him." Isabelle called and Jace made a noise of protest but she continued, "That's what the rest of us do." Magnus gave her a grin, meeting her twinkling eyes and biting back a laugh.

"Alec doesn't ignore me." Jace said, folding his arms and giving her a challenging stare which she met with equal determination. She rolled her eyes at his statement and mirrored his pose.

"That's just because Alec's too nice to ignore anyone. God knows how he's been able to put up with you."

Magnus laughed and Alec gave him a smile. Trying to calm his racing heart, Magnus wandered into the adjoining kitchen. Maryse had gone straight to work with the cooking once they'd come down and was dishing the pasta into wide bowls.

The youngest ran up to him, watching his mum dole the food out and giving Magnus a shy smile. "I'm Max." He said, his voice quiet. Max didn't even give Magnus any time to reply, he was already scurrying back to the table.

Alec came by and grabbed four of the bowls, balancing them on his glorious forearms. The other kids had started to sit down, taking their places at the table normally, like everyone had a place and it was all just habit now. They'd added an extra chair on one side, putting Magnus right next to Isabelle and right across from Alec. Maryse took her place at one of the heads and called Robert in from the other room. Magnus tried not to think about what Jessamine had said and how their places made it perfect for he and Alec to play footsie.

Magnus stood up to shake Robert's hand as the man came into the room and his assumption of Jace being adopted was confirmed. He had dark brown hair and eyes, along with rather tanned skin. Clearly the Lightwood children took after Maryse more, taking her pale skin and darker hair. Robert's eyes were kind when he shook Magnus' hand, but his grip was firm and there was a feeling that he was not a man to take things lightly.

"So," Robert said, "What's your first impression of Texas? A lot different from home?" He dug into his pasta, the rest of the family doing the same and Alec helping Max dole cheese out onto his food.

Magnus nodded, laughing a little, "Everything is completely different. There's a lot more noise there, because there's so many cars in New York and so many people." The whole family was watching him, Max's eyes were wide, Isabelle looked excited and Jace looked completely bored.

"Is our town really small?"

Max's voice was small but curious and Magnus had to assume that he'd never left the tiny little chunk of world he called home. "By my standards it is. In New York there are tons of skyscrapers and business towers. There are people everywhere and no one has big lawns or anything like this." He gestured with his hands, smiling at Max's amazed gaze.

Isabelle twisted in her chair, digging her fork into her pasta and smirking at Magnus, "You must go to some pretty crazy parties then."

Running a sheepish hand through his hair and assuming the Lightwood kids didn't know why he was actually staying with them, Magnus nodded. "Yeah, there were some pretty crazy can get out of hand pretty fast. They're cool I guess but sort of toxic."

"Toxic?" Jace was looking at him like he was an idiot and Magnus bit down his worry at the two parents going silent. He didn't want to talk about the horrible things that his friends had done to people, that he'd done at parties. It seemed so funny at the time, laughing at people and being part of an enormous crowd. But Magnus was in Texas to restart, to get some fresh air.

"The people that go to those parties aren't always the best people to be hanging out with." Maryse raised an eyebrow at him and he gave her an apologetic smile, "Reckless, rude, that sort of thing."

Isabelle had gone back to eating, nodding.

Robert decided at that moment to pick up the awkward silence, "So, Magnus. Got a girl waiting back at home?" This just made the silence longer, Magnus looked rather shell shocked, Isabelle raising an eyebrow, Alec blushing and Jace on the verge of laughter. Clearly the kids had picked up on something their parents had not. Max was looking from person to person, trying to understand the joke.

Clearing his throat, Magnus focussed on his food for a second, "Uh, no. I'm, uh..." He met Robert's eyes for a second, "I'm gay." He sounded quite timid, which sent Magnus back the time when he had to tell Camille and he was preparing for the worst. Magnus wasn't sure why he was so worried about what Robert would say, because getting kicked out would probably mean going home and putting this whole trip behind him. He could hear Rebecca telling him that they were traditional and thought of how nervous Alec was about being gay.

Robert didn't say anything, it was Maryse that broke the silence, "Got a boy then Magnus?"

Grateful for her intervention, Magnus gave her a broad smile and shook his head, "Nah, I'm free as a bird Mrs. Lightwood."

"Call me Maryse or mum, otherwise there's going to be a lot of poop shoveling young man." She gave him a teasing smile but he took her very seriously. "And I'm sure the right boy is out there, just waiting for you to wander into his life unannounced."

Magnus laughed, meeting Alec's eyes across the table and smiling, "Yeah, maybe."

It was strange for Magnus to be part of a functioning family. A family that laughed at the dinner table, cleaned up afterwards and then promptly suggested doing something together.

He'd gotten up from the table and noticed that the kids immediately went to work helping out. Isabelle and Max piled the extra food into containers in the fridge, Robert excused himself with an apology and the burden of undone work and Maryse was told by her children to go get some rest, they'd take it from here.

Jace didn't seem to be doing much, but Magnus ignored him. He rolled up his sleeves and tossed a dry towel to Alec. "I'll wash you dry?" He asked, "I don't know where anything goes so it's probably better that you tackle that part." Alec nodded and Magnus went to work, glancing over every once in a while to watch Alec. He'd lift his arms up to put the glasses away and Magnus had to avoid swooning at the strip of toned muscle that was revealed.

Isabelle caught him looking and gave him a wink, covering her mouth and giggling. Jace gave her a glare and propped his feet up on the counter. "So, what movie are we gonna watch?" He looked from sibling to sibling, raising his eyebrows.

Magnus was surprised, he didn't think siblings actually did anything together. But the Lightwoods seemed to think of this as a regular occurrence. Isabelle immediately suggested 'Mean Girls' and her brothers started groaning.

"Seriously Iz?" Alec asked, rolling his eyes, "You always say that. I can practically quote that movie word for word."

"You cannot."

Magnus was delighted to find that she'd underestimated Alec's ability to memorize things. Her older brother put down the towel, folded his arms and began to recite 'Mean Girls' with the authority of someone quoting the most ancient scriptures. "'This is your lunch okay? I put a dollar in there so you can buy some milk. You can ask one of the big kids where to do that.' 'Do you remember your phone number? I wrote it down for you just in case. Put it in your pocket I don't want you to lose it. Okay? You ready?' 'I think so.' 'It's Cady's big day!' I guess it's natural for parents to cry on their kids first day of school, but you know this usually happens when the kid is five. I'm sixteen and until today I was homeschooled. I know what you're thinking, homeschooled kids are freaks." Alec stopped and Isabelle's jaw was on the floor. Magnus wasn't even sure if he had it word for word, but Alec's confidence made him think that he did.

"X-y-l-o-c-a-r-p. Xylocarp" Max droned, joining Alec and Magnus had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from completely dying of laughter. The fact that not only Alec knew the words to 'Mean Girls' was both hilarious and somewhat worrying. Isabelle's mouth was wide open and she moved to say something, but Alec kept going.

"-Or that we're weirdly religious or something."

"-And on the third day god created the Remington bolt action rifle so that man could fight the dinosaurs and the homosexuals." Jace emphasized his accent and Magnus choked, fighting back the peals of laughter that were threatening to fall past his lips.

"Amen." All three chimed in on that one and Magnus laid his head on his arm, folding his upper body over the counter and shaking with laughter. He looked up, seeing Isabelle biting her lip and her shoulders quivering.

"-But my family's totally normal. Except for the fact that both my parents are research zoologists and we spent the last twelve years in Africa. I had a great life but then my mom got offered ten-year at northwestern university. So it was goodbye Africa and hello high school." Alec unfolded his arms and spread his hands along the counter top, staring his sister right in the eye while he quoted the words.

"And cue the bus." Jace said, looking up at the ceiling and sighing. The boys stopped there, giving Isabelle a look and forcing Magnus to finally burst out laughing. Alec caught his eye and started laughing too, until all five of them were falling to the floor in tears.

"Fine." Isabelle said, wiping her face and smiling broadly, "We don't have to watch 'Mean Girls'. Max shouldn't be watching that anyways. Mum will kill us if she finds out he's been watching those movies with us."

Jace looked at Magnus and grinned, "Don't go telling on us, you may be a house guest but I will not hesitate to hunt you down like I would if it were my siblings."

Magnus snorted, "I don't doubt it." He turned back to the dishes and handed a clean plate to Alec, trying not to shudder when their hands brushed in the process. "So what movie are we going to watch?" There was silence as the siblings looked back and forth, Magnus was indifferent and Alec just shrugged. Jace and Isabelle both looked like they were going to suggest something when Max piped up.

"We could always watch Iron Man." His voice was quiet but his eyes were excited, like the simple prospect of the movie made him happy.

"I'm down for Iron Man." Jace said, ruffling Max's hair.

Magnus grinned, "I've never actually seen Iron Man."

Max's jaw dropped, he was looking at Magnus horrified and Isabelle laughed. "We have to watch it then!" Max cried, throwing his hands in the air and looking at each of his siblings. They nodded, though Isabelle looked a bit resentful.

Alec leaned over and whispered in Magnus' ear, "Iron Man is Max's favourite movie of all time. We watch it a lot but he loves it too much for any of us to say no."

Smiling because their love for their younger brother was adorable and because having Alec that close to him brought all the blood rushing to his face and turning it a bright red, Magnus nodded and handed Alec the last plate.

Drying it and putting it away, Alec grabbed something else from the cupboard and threw it at Jace. With reflexes that Magnus was positive no one back home had, Jace grabbed the object out of the air with ease. It was a plastic tub of popcorn kernels. Upon noticing it, Max rushed to the fridge and grabbed some butter.

"You and Max go make popcorn," Alec ordered, sliding some salt across the counter and shooing them with his hands. "We'll get the movie room ready." He pointed to Magnus Isabelle and himself. Jace didn't argue for once and slung an arm around Max's shoulders. Magnus could hear Max chattering to Jace as they walked away and he figured that the boy wasn't all that shy once you got to know him.

He followed Alec and Isabelle out of the room, rolling down his sleeves as he went. They led him through a long hallway, Magnus catching a glimpse of a laundry room, two bathrooms, a fancy looking sitting room and at least three closets. Deciding not to mention to the siblings that they had the largest house known to man, Magnus looked at the pictures on the walls.

Alec, noticing he stopped, came to stand by Magnus in front of one of the frames. There was something innocent and happy about the photo, Jace and Isabelle beaming at the camera and Alec holding a baby who Magnus could only assume was Max.

"That was the day he was born." Alec said, smiling at the photo next to him.

Magnus grinned, "Were you happy? Did you want another sibling?" Alec shrugged, one hand crammed in his pocket and the other one running through his hair.

"I didn't want another sibling per-say, but I wouldn't trade Max for the world. At the time I thought I was fine with just Jace and Isabelle, but then I got to hold him. It was crazy. I was too young to hold Isabelle when she was born and we adopted Jace when he was pretty young." Magnus nodded, noting that he was right about Jace being adopted.

"I never got a sibling." Magnus frowned at the picture now, trying to imagine what his own brothers and sisters might have looked like. Would they have shared his hair? His eyes? Would they be older? Younger?

Alec watched him sadly. "You must have been awfully lonely as a kid."

"It was pretty bad. But only sometimes. I had friends I guess, it was just never the same."

"Well," Alec said, pushing Magnus' shoulder lightly and turning back towards the end of the hall, "You're part of this family now and that means you're going to help us move couches." The two of them walked through the door Isabelle had opened. Magnus gaped at the enormous leather couches that Isabelle was moving closer to the TV and the bean bag that Alec moved to drag across the room.

He grabbed the other side and started to help Alec move it, shaking his head. One of the walls was covered in DVD cases. Some held movies and others held video games, but it must have been almost every game and TV show and movie ever made. The shelves went wall to wall and floor to ceiling, a sea of titles and boxes. The TV itself was an enormous flatscreen that was fastened to the wall and used a projector. It was hooked up to every gaming system imaginable and there were controllers everywhere.

"The child inside of me just died."

Alec laughed, tossing some RockBand guitars in a pile of discarded accessories and later adding the drumsticks to the collection. "We can get pretty intense about our games. Jace is the most competitive RockBand player I know."

"No way." Magnus laughed, slouching onto one of the couches and raising an eyebrow at Isabelle. She laughed and nodded.

"He gets a blister from the yellow button."

Jace took this moment to burst into the room, he and Max ladened down with snacks and drinks. There was a six pack of coke hanging off of one of Jace's fingers and Alec snatched it right away.

"Are you guys talking about my RockBand skills again?" He asked, shoving a bowl of popcorn at Magnus and dumping bags of candy onto the other couch. Max followed Jace's example and leapt onto the bean bag. Alec divvied up the candy, dumping some out into bowls for sharing and letting some of them just hoard the entire bag.

Max turned around to Magnus while they waited for Isabelle to sort out the DVD player, giving him a delighted smile. "You're going to love it."

"I bet I am." Magnus said, returning the happy smile and trying to pretend like he hadn't noticed Alec watching him.

Isabelle turned on the movie, sitting back down next to Jace. Magnus was suddenly acutely aware of Alec sitting right next to him, radiating heat. The two of them shared popcorn and watched the movie. Magnus liked Tony and thought he was hilarious, clearly the others thought the same seeing as Jace pumped a fist in the air when they defeated the badie. Max, who had been excitedly commenting on things throughout the entire movie and reacting just the way he would be expected to, fell silent in the last few minutes. Magnus looked over to realize he was fast asleep, his glasses crooked on his nose and his coke on the verge of spilling.

When the movie was over, Isabelle put a finger to her lips, she grabbed to coke from Max' grasp and placed it on the ground, beginning to collect the candy wrappers. Alec walked over to where Max was slowly and picked him up. He gently carried his brother upstairs, Magnus in tow, with Isabelle and Jace offering to clean up. Magnus opened the door marked 'Max' for Alec and watched him carry his little brother inside.

Magnus noted that the older siblings had had Max change into his pyjamas before watching the movie, no doubt knowing that he would fall asleep. Alec gently placed Max on the bed and tugged the covers over him. He put Max' glasses on his bedside table and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Magnus could hear Camille dying, screaming about how cute this boy was and how Magnus totally needed to get with him. He did what he always did when Camille popped into his head, he ignored her. His mind version of her always had a way of telling him the worst possible thing to do. He needed the real Camille who was going to be logical. Hopefully.

The two of them tiptoed out of Max's room and stood in the hallway for a brief second. Magnus smiled at Alec and tried to dispel the butterflies that filled his stomach when the other boy smiled back.

"Thanks for inviting me to movie night." He said nervously, running a hand through his hair, "It was fun."

Alec smiled, "I'm glad you liked it, you'll get used to it. We watch movies a lot, almost as much as we do TV show marathons. Did you like Iron Man?"

Laughing Magnus stared at his feet, "I did actually."

"Good."

"Well," He shifted back and forth slightly, meeting Alec's eyes and noting that they practically glowed in the dark hallway. "Good night then."

"Good night Magnus." Alec turned and started to walk towards his bedroom, raising a hand in goodbye and giving Magnus that easy smile. Sighing Magnus smiled back and raised his own hand. He wandered back to his own room and closed the door, leaning on it. He wasn't going to fall in love with a boy that lived in a different part of the country. It wasn't going to happen.

"I need to talk to Camille." He said aloud. If there was anything he needed right now, it was some serious girl advice.

* * *

**Again, sorry for the wait! I'm starting the next chapter now so hopefully I'll get that up soon (and it will be slightly longer...). **

**xx**


	5. Chapter 4

**So here it is! And as a consolation for the last chapter being shorter, this one is more that 6,000 words! I kind of went of on a tangent and couldn't stop! Some pretty cute Malec bonding (if I do say so myself) in this chapter! Read and review!**

* * *

Magnus' fingers slipped on the phone as he struggled to muffle a yawn. He wasn't sure how it'd gotten so late, but he needed to talk to Camille if he was going to get any sleep at all. Punching in her number and listening to it ring, Magnus sat down on the edge of his bed and ran his fingers through his rumpled hair. He stared at his knees and listened to the hollow ringing on the other side of the phone.

The ringing stopped abruptly and Magnus looked up hopefully.

"Cam?"

"Hi, Camille here, sorry I missed your call" He groaned in frustration, "please leave me a message and I will get back to you right away." There was a heartbeat of silence and then the droning beep while Magnus waited to leave a message.

"Hey Cam, I'm seriously thinking about killing you right now. Answer your phone. It's a serious romantic emergency and it might be fatal. Talk soon, miss you all." Magnus hung up, knowing if the message went too long Camille wouldn't be bothered to listen at all.

Tossing the phone onto the bed and leaning back, Magnus stared at the ceiling and sighed. His feet still brushed the floor and he lifted them up to lie on the bed properly. Still in his clothes, makeup still on and thoughts still drifting to the adorable boy who was causing him so many problems, Magnus fell asleep.

He slept restlessly and ended up wandering into the bathroom just past one in the morning. Magnus cleaned up his face, taking off the makeup and giving his face a much needed moisturize. Deciding that sleeping nude in someone else's house might be a tad bit awkward, he slipped on a pair of fresh boxers and crawled back into bed.

Only to get back up again at around eight. It was early for him, but the bustle of noise downstairs made him think that it wasn't so early for the Lightwoods. Dragging himself out of bed and putting on a thin layer of makeup, he went simply dressed for the day. With the knowledge of it being warm, he put on a pair of bright red shorts and a white v-neck. Gently tousling his hair, Magnus shuffled out of his room and made his way down the stairs.

A smattering of the Lightwoods greeted him, Jace and Max both sitting at the counter eating eggs, toast, bacon and an assortment of fruit. Jace glanced over his shoulder, halting whatever conversation he was having with his mother to nod a good morning to Magnus. Max however was so deep into a weird looking comic book that he didn't even seem to notice Magnus come down. Maryse had her back to him, hair in a high ponytail and busy with more eggs and humming along with the faint sounds of the radio.

"Good Morning Maryse." Magnus called and she gave him a smile. She was wearing an apron over meticulously clean clothes. Amazed at her sheer ability to not get dirty whilst living on a farm, Magnus made his way over to the kitchen.

"Morning!" She said cheerfully, "Max sweetie could you go see if Isabelle is awake?" Her youngest looked up and nodded, getting up from his seat and nearly crashing into Magnus. Giving him a startled look that assured Magnus that Max had had no idea Magnus was there, Max, rushed back up from where Magnus had just come.

Jace gave Magnus a weird look and pulled out the chair next to him, patting it slightly. Magnus realizing this was a surprisingly friendly invitation to sit down, took his place next to Jace and was presented with a steaming plate of eggs.

"Thank you." He said, giving Maryse a bright smile and grabbing an offered fork. Magnus dug into the eggs and kept surprisingly quiet as Jace launched back into whatever story he was telling his mother before Magnus came down.

"So," Jace said, pushing his eggs around on his plate, "Because Simon is being super weird and Clary's mum might actually let her do something fun I was thinking I could borrow Alec's truck and take her down to the movies." With very little knowledge of who these people actually were, Magnus could only assume that Clary was a girlfriend or something of the sort.

Maryse nodded from her place in the kitchen, "Sure, as long as it's alright with your brother. It is his truck after all. When did you want to go?" Jace shrugged and shoved another forkful of eggs into his mouth.

"Probably this weekend."

Magnus glanced up at the calendar on the wall, which he noticed was covered in scribbles and abbreviations that meant god knows what, and realized it was Thursday. He'd completely forgotten there were days of the week and found it rather strange that time passed so slowly on the farm. Though, considering the lack of progress he was actually making on any of his endeavours, a slow passing of time was to be expected.

"Mm," Maryse gently plated the last of the eggs and wandered over to lean on the counter opposite the two boys. Max came down at that moment and clambered back onto his seat, giving his mother a wide grin.

Her eyes softened and she returned the smile as her son launched into the story of waking up Isabelle.

"Izzy is awake but very grumpy."

Jace snorted at that and whispered to Magnus, "She's always grumpy in the mornings. Alec and I don't wake her up anymore because she always tries to murder us. She doesn't pull any of that with Max so it's his number one chore." Magnus laughed and nodded, tuning back into Max's story.

The tiny boy gave a massive inhale and rushed through the end of his tale, "And then she got mad again but said she would come down for eggs so I said okay and then she yelled at me to get out so I did and then I came back downstairs and now here I am." Max pushed his glasses up on his nose, rested his head on his hand and waited for his mother to say something.

"Thanks darling," She said, kissing his forehead gently, "You done with your eggs."

Max stared at them for a brief second and then nodded, pushing his plate towards his mum, watching her take it away to the sink. "Where's Alec?" He said and Jace just shrugged.

"Probably off some place with his books or-"

Jace was cut off by Alec running through the room, wearing a pair of jeans and a worn blue shirt. He sprinted through the kitchen and yelled a brief "Morning!" over his shoulder. The whole family watched as he ran across the lawn and towards a big building that Magnus could only assume held livestock of some kind.

"Or he's on his way to see the horses." Jace finished, sighing again and getting up to put his plate in the sink, "He loves those bloody horses almost as much as he loves his stupid books." Smiling rather fondly, Jace stretched. He ruffled Max's hair, nodded again to Magnus and started towards the door. He stopped right before going out and grinned, "The queen has graced us with her presence."

"Shut up." Isabelle said, gently pulling her hair up into a bun and giving Magnus a happy smile. "Morning family."

"You were mad at me earlier." Max said, sounding quite matter-of-fact.

She laughed and ruffled his hair again. Looking rather irritated to have been put through this gesture so many times, Max smoothed his hair and picked up his strange comic again.

Maryse peered at his book, "Hm, you're almost done that one too huh?" He nodded happily, turning the page again and gasping as the action sped up. Maryse smiled at him and nodded, "I'll take you down to the book store later today and we'll see if Luke's got the next one."

Max smiled angelically at his mother and grinned. "I'll go get dressed, then I'll be ready to go as soon as I'm finished this one." She nodded and he dashed up the stairs again, nose still deep into his book and almost tripping about halfway up.

Magnus thanked Maryse again for the breakfast, though she waved him off. He wandered back up to his room but decided he would much rather draw outside in the warm sun than back in his room again. Grabbing his sketchbook and various pens and pencil crayons, Magnus headed down the stairs and set up on the porch. Maryse noticed him there and slid a glass of lemonade next to him, which he accepted gratefully.

Turning back towards the sun, Magnus began to sketch out more dresses in the beautiful colours. He watched the sun rise high in the sky and noticed Jace and Alec leaving the barn. They were laughing and talking, Jace shoving Alec playfully and the two of them bursting into another round of hysterics. Jace held his hand out for something and Alec gently tossed something at him.

Magnus' heart stopped as Alec got closer. Because Alec's shirt was around his neck and his gloriously toned chest was out there for the whole world to see. Resisting the urge to draw the beauty that was Alec's bare torso, Magnus forced himself to look at Alec's face and give him a smile.

"Hey." Alec sounded rather shy, running a hand through his wet hair and giving Magnus a small smile.

"Hey."

They both blushed, the two of them very aware of Alec's current state of undress. "Jace thought it would be funny to douse me with the hose."

Magnus nodded, thanking Jace mentally and wondering how he could have ever thought negative things about the other boy's cockiness. "That sounds… Interesting?"

"It was awful." Alec said, causing the two of them to laugh, "The hose was really fucking cold." Alec swearing did very little to help Magnus' current state of mental panic. He needed to pause the whole world and talk to Camille. And draw those glorious abs. Thanking whatever god was in charge of abdominal muscles, Magnus shifted in his seat and Alec blushed scarlet.

He stammered a little, edging towards the door and looking adorably bashful, "I should probably go get dressed." Alec said, staring at his feet for a moment and then biting his lip.

Magnus jolted out of his daze and nodded, "Uh, yeah right. You do that." He packed up his art supplies carefully, "I'm just going to go call my mum, I've been meaning to talk to her."

Alec nodded, "That's good, uh, just to warn you, Jace is probably going to bring Clary here. She's nice and everything," He said, sounding rather guilty, "I don't mean that she's weird or anything, I just didn't want you to get surprised, or anything." He trailed off, blushing fiercely again.

"Thanks." Magnus said, trying to sound convincing to make Alec less awkward. He gave Alec an easy smile and followed him inside. They walked up the stairs together, the silence slightly awkward but mostly filled with the two of them smiling at each other and Alec blushing like a little girl.

They parted ways at the top, the two of them hurrying to their rooms, but Magnus looking back for a split second long enough to notice Alec watching him as he closed the door.

Dumping his art supplies on the desk and scrambling around the room trying to find his phone, Magnus bit his lip. He finally found the device and knowing he was going to be on the phone with Camille for a while, decided to call his mother first. He punched in her number and slouched in his desk chair waiting for her to pick up.

"Hello?" His mother sounded quite on edge and a little bit confused, probably from the weird number he was calling from.

He smiled sheepishly, "Hey mum." She laughed slightly and he joined her, "Sorry for not calling, I've been sort of caught up in the whirlwind. But I'm fine."

"I know." She said with another breathy laugh, "Maryse called me once you landed so I knew that you were okay. How's Texas so far?"

He shrugged, but remembering she couldn't actually see him decided to go further into his explanation. "It's okay, the Lightwoods are really nice and having the kids around is a lot nicer than I thought it would be."

"Mm, is that so?"

He laughed, hearing the teasing in her voice. "Yes," Magnus sighed, "Having them around is actually pretty fun. It makes me wonder what it would be like to have a sibling."

His mother sighed as well, "We considered it Magnus. I know you always bellyache about wanting a brother or a sister or a puppy but we did consider it." Magnus opened his mouth to ask a question, the fact that they'd considered it being news to him. "But, we also considered the amount of time that other child would take up. How much we'd have to split between you and the other kids."

"You wanted what was best for me."

"We wanted what would be nicest for you. You may not realize it but Maryse is lucky enough to run the farm as a job and Robert works from his home office. Your father and I could never do that. The idea of splitting what little time we had just seemed cruel. You can complain all you like, but we do love you."

Smiling now, feeling a closeness with his mother he probably hadn't felt since he was a little kid, Magnus picked at non-existent lint on his shorts. "I've been taking pictures with the camera you got me." In truth, the camera had been spending a lot more time sitting on his desk than Magnus would have liked, but his mother would be pleased to hear he was using the gift.

"I'm glad."

He let out a sigh, "I really didn't expect to like Texas so much."

Magnus' mum laughed softly, "I know what you mean, I actually spent a summer there once." His eyes widened, his mother? The pristine woman who could barely stand it when a single speck of dirt graced the floors of their home? He tried to imagine her in the bustling Lightwood home, dirtying her shoes with the Texan dust and driving around in old pick-ups.

"You're kidding me right?"

Knowing his mother, there were raised eyebrows involved, "How did you think Maryse and I became such good friends? I went down there once, long before I met your father."

"Wow. How come you never told me?"

"I don't know, I've probably mentioned it once or twice. Now, I know you love talking to your mother for ages but you only have so much time for social calls. Go call Cam, give her my love and take lots of pictures for me."

"I love you." Magnus said with a laugh, saying his goodbyes to his mother before gently ending the call.

He wanted to call Camille right away, knowing that sharing the Alec knowledge he had acquired was of the utmost importance. But something made Magnus pause. He figured it was the fact that in one short phone call he'd gotten to know his mother better than almost eighteen years of living under her roof. Magnus couldn't believe how much he liked his mother when he didn't have to put up with her nagging him. He wondered if this was him growing up or simply a strangely depressing fact he was going to have to get used to. Liking his mother more when she was in an entirely different state was a bit sad, but Magnus decided that he was right in thinking the Alec info was more important.

Quickly dialling Camille's number and tapping out the rhythm of 'Stayin Alive' on the desk with his fingers, Magnus waited for her to pick up.

"Mag?" She clearly recognized the number, not only because she said his name (or at least the despicable shortened version she insisted on using) but because of the hopeful tone in her voice.

"Hello there." He smiled in spite of himself, "I might have to fly home to kill you if you continue to you that atrocious nickname."

She laughed, "I like it."

"You like celery. Your argument is invalid."

Magnus could imagine her pout, right down to the teasing eyes, "Just because you have some sort of battle with celery doesn't mean-" She was cut off by Will yelling at her in the background.

"For fucks sake, put him on speaker."

Jem's "Language Will." was faint and just as bored as always. He was delighted that they were all together but also sort of put out that he was missing all this time they were spending as a group.

Hearing the echoing tone to everyone's voices and knowing he was on speaker, Magnus decided to drop the news that would drive the girls mad.

"Abs."

That was all he had to say, he couldn't hear Will, Jem and Ragnor trying to figure out what the heck was going on because Camille and Jessamine completely drowned them out. Tessa was laughing, probably throwing her head back in that way that made Will distracted and smiling the way she did when the other girls were so silly.

"You lucky bastard!" Camille shouted, clapping her hands together and banging whatever table she was sitting next to. Magnus had no idea where they were but doubted it was Camille's house again.

All the girls were laughing now, Jessamine raving about how Magnus always got lucky and how it just wasn't damn fair. Magnus was laughing too, listening to the utter chaos that was raging on the other side of the phone.

"Shut up!" Will said, causing them all to stop laughing and Magnus knew the girls were throwing him looks now, ones that he would pointedly ignore. "Will someone please tell me what is so amazing?"

Jessamine piped up, "Magnus' hottie has abs."

The boys didn't say anything and Camille and Jessamine started talking over each other, trying to get Magnus to talk.

"Shh," Camille said, "Me first." Imagining Jessamine's death glare Magnus smiled again, awaiting Camille's question, "How serious are we talking? Six pack? Defined?"

"Washboard."

Tessa laughed again, "You're fucking kidding me right? This guy cannot possibly be real. It's too good to be true!"

Magnus grinned broadly, "I know. But here he is and he's sweet as sugar."

"You had better get with this guy Mag," Camille said, "He sounds like a dream boat. Any progress on yanking him out of the closet and into the glorious sunshine that is your gayness?"

Will snorted at that, "The sunshine? Magnus is more like the lighting in a rave, bright, obnoxious and makes you feel rather ill."

"Ignoring William's ignorance over fashion and the importance of actually having colours in one's wardrobe, how is this conversion." Jessamine pressed and Magnus could imagine them all leaning towards the phone, waiting to hear what he was going to say.

"Don't say conversion, it's more of an enlightenment."

Camille sighed, "I don't care if it's a surgical operation. The question is very simple Magnus, does he want the d."

"Tsk," Magnus responded to Camille's sigh with one of his own, "calling it the d just makes me not want to respond. Really Camille, we're not on the internet. We are grown-ass people."

"Does he want your dick up his motherfucking-"

"I'd like to imagine so." Magnus said, cutting her off before she could cause outrage and trauma amongst the straight males on the other side. "He continues to flush like a ripe cherry every time I so much as talk to him. This I consider to be progress."

Ragnor spoke up now, "Camille is nodding. I thought you should know."

"Thanks bud." Magnus said smiling, knowing Ragnor he was probably hungover or ridiculously tired. He had a habit of sleeping all the time, whether he needed it or not.

"Magnus." Camille said, "I consider this to be progress also. I think we need to take things to the next level. Spend more time with him, get him alone. Talk to him."

Running fingers through his hair, Magnus leaned on his desk. "I know. I want to, but this is where I'm running into a problem." He kept going, answering their questions right away, "Not getting him alone, he's pretty easy about that and he might blush a lot but he doesn't exactly ignore me. The problem is my morals."

"Your morals?" Will said, "I'm so confused. One minute ago it was okay to say that he 'wanted the d' but now it's a question of morals?"

"More like feelings I suppose."

"Oh." Camille was quiet, "So you're thinking…"

Magnus nodded, even though she couldn't see him, "I think he might be endgame."

Camille gasped and Ragnor groaned, "For god's sake. I know you and Cam have this weird telepathic connection, but the rest of us are left in the dark. Can you briefly explain what this mysterious endgame is?" Seeming to take pity on him, Camille began to explain what endgame was.

"Endgame means that." She paused, tapping her finger nails on some sort of table or something, the clicking continued for a brief second. "The easiest way to explain it is this: Alec might be endgame for Magnus, Magnus might fall in love with him. He might be the end of dating, sort of the be-all end-all of Magnus' love life."

There was complete silence on both sides.

"Jesus."

"I know the resemblance is astonishing," Will said snarkily, "But I'm not actually him Ragnor. However, he is right. Magnus this is crazy."

Biting his lip Magnus glanced out the window onto the backyard. Jace was chasing a tiny redhead around the garden with a hose and she was screaming. Magnus wrinkled his nose at her shrill voice, but smiled after noticing how much fun they seemed to be having. Assuming this was Clary, Magnus turned his mind back to the problem at hand.

"It's not that crazy." Tessa said meekly, "Right?" She was clearly looking to the others for support, but Magnus knew she wasn't going to get any.

"Don't be stupid Tess," Will said, "Magnus this isn't one of those fucking Disney movies you lot love so much. You can't know if you love him, if you're ever going to love him. For Christ's sake you just met the guy."

Magnus sighed, "It's not like that Will. I didn't look at him and then think that he was going to be my husband or something moronic. He's just… amazing." There was no other way to describe it.

"He could be the most amazing guy in the whole world, he really could be." Will said, sounding surprisingly sincere. The others stayed quiet, knowing that Will needed a moment to talk to Magnus. "I know I act like an ass a lot of the time-"

"-All the time." Jessamine coughed, earning her a few giggles and undoubtably one glare from Will.

"But we're friends. And I can tell you right now that this isn't going to be good. You need to be careful. You can't get to attached to the idea of a life with someone you just met. Give it a week, maybe two. Then decide if he's endgame. Then plan your next move. For now? Have fun in Texas, flirt a little, and for the love of all things holy, get to know the guy."

Silence fell over the line once more.

"Wow." Camille said, "That was awe-inspiring young William. You have the wisdom of someone much older than you. Like perhaps, myself?"

"I'm three fucking months younger than you you absolute turd."

Jem laughed, "And the illusion is broken."

Everyone laughed, Magnus included. But he took Will's words to heart, knowing that anything Will was going to say in a non-sarcastic tone was something to make a note of. And he did. He convinced himself to get to know Alec. Maybe spend a full day with him.

"I'm going to go now." He said, "I think I have some drawing to do. Maybe some photos. And a hell of a lot of talking."

"Good." Will said.

Magnus nodded, "I'll check back soon? I'll give you an A.U."

"A.U.?" Ragnor sounded confused again, probably wondering if he'd fallen asleep and missed part of the conversation, Magnus thought fondly.

"Alec update."

"Uh, right." He didn't sound totally sure but had seemed to accept the consistant confusion.

Everyone shouted out some goodbyes, some rather vulgar curses and even a few ancient pronouns that came from god knows where. Jessamine thought it was funny to spring them on the group, coming out of nowhere and having no relevance to the conversation in any way possible.

Camille turned it off speaker and said her own goodbyes, "Talk soon lovely and remember, take it slow and then give us more juicy details. And a picture. Please send me a fucking picture."

Magnus laughed, "Will do. Bye." She signed off and they hung up, Magnus setting the phone down and gathering up his camera. Deciding to explore the house and maybe get some pictures of the wonderful architecture, Magnus set off.

He wandered through the halls, taking pictures of certain arches and angles of the front door. There were massive windows in what looked like a fancy sitting room where he took lots of pictures. He delighted in it, catching the right light on the right room. He considered sending some of them to his mother, giving her a look into where he was staying and all. Making yet another mental note, Magnus left the room and noticed a door at the end of the hall.

It was a thick, heavy-set door that was slightly darker wood than the others, like they'd all been updated and repainted except for this one. Magnus took a picture of it at first, liking the way it looked almost other-worldly and enchanting. He noticed the carvings in the door, leaves and vines that crawled up the wood. They were etched in perfectly, too mismatched and unique to be factory made. Magnus took some pictures of them before running a hand over the wood. He reached for the handle and briefly wondered what might be behind the door. Feeling rather adventurous, Magnus turned the handle and opened the door.

The door didn't creak like he'd expected, it was silent and swift. It opened into a slightly musty smelling room. The dying rays of sunlight filtered in onto a room that took Magnus' breath away.

It was a library.

Not the kind of library one would usually find in a house, not one that simply held the classics and some newer books that had been added to the owner's preference. Not a few shelves here and there with a bunch of couches. This was a two floor library with more books than Magnus had seen in his life. The shelves went floor to ceiling and the books never seemed to stop. The only place the books weren't was where the windows were, beautiful stained glass windows that were either frosted or coloured. There were piles of books sitting on a couple of wooden tables, books that couldn't have come from anywhere and almost seemed to be there because there wasn't any room left. The largest of these tables was surrounded by heavy wooden chairs and situated right in the middle. Magnus noticed emerald green armchairs hidden around corners. He counted at least ten, some looking more used than others and a couple of them were filled with books, making Magnus seriously question the amount of books one family could own.

He pulled out his camera and took some pictures, making sure to catch the dust gently falling on the books' covers and the way the light hit the different stacks. Magnus took some of the open books on the tables and stopped to gaze, open mouthed at the enormous map that blanketed the table that actually had chairs. It looked ancient and fraying, making Magnus scared to touch it. It looked like something out of a movie, a place that was untouched by time and was once the home to some sort of intense war meeting. A brief part of his mind wondered if the Lightwoods knew the room was there. It didn't look used, not like the other rooms that were filled with discarded things, clothes, pieces of paper and anything that seemed to get left behind. This room was almost entirely books and Magnus could hardly imagine Jace, Isabelle or even Maryse truly loving this room.

He raced up the wooden stairs to the second floor, grabbing a birds eye view of the centre table and wandering deeper into the books. Stepping out from between the shelves and over to the railing, Magnus sighed. He applauded whoever built the library, there were matching carvings in each of the shelves and the railings keeping Magnus from plunging to his death. The little leaves seemed to encompass the room, like a tree that was filled with books. Dumbly, Magnus wondered if maybe that was the whole point.

Magnus was walking backwards, trying to get the right angle on the light coming from one of the stained glass windows when he bumped into someone. Naturally his first instinct was to scream. Jumping away from this strange person he had encountered, he turned to find none other than a very wide-eyed Alec.

"Sorry!" He said immediately, looking quite sheepish. "I was just reading and I heard the clicking and when I came to see what it was, you were so focussed and I probably should have said something…" Alec laughed, "Would it sound dumb if I said that I didn't want to scare you?"

Magnus shrugged, "Perhaps a little. But I'll let it slide. How the hell did you move that quietly?"

"Uh," Alec was pretty confused and pretty adorable, Magnus' heart jumped and he felt like yelling at it to calm down and get it together. "I kinda just walked up? I didn't think I was that quiet, you were probably just caught up in your picture taking stuff."

"Right."

Alec watched him carefully, the way that he adjusted the lens and went on his tip-toes to get a better angle. "Do you like taking photos? Do you want to be a photographer?"

Magnus shook his head, meeting Alec's eyes and briefly getting lost in the luminous blue. "I want to be a fashion designer. I love to draw, I love colour and I love the notion that someday people could love my designs the way that I do."

"Ah, so you have an eye for art. Well then, what'd you think of the library?" Alec asked, leaning against the railing calmly. He observed the library happily, with an almost far-off look in his eyes. Magnus couldn't help but take a picture of him standing there. Alec looked surprised but Magnus brushed it off with a smile.

"This is the most amazing room I have ever seen. It's breathtaking." Magnus admitted, looking around and taking a quick picture of the domed ceiling.

Alec grinned wider, "Isn't it? I could live in this room forever. If I didn't keep running out of books."

Eyes wide and jaw practically scrapping the floor, Magnus just stared at Alec, "There are more books in here than I can count. How could you have possibly finished them all?"

"I get bored. There isn't a whole ton to do here and sometimes it's nice to get away from my siblings and just read."

Shaking his head Magnus smiled, "You are impossible."

"How so?" Alec cocked his head, watching Magnus with those bright eyes and making his heart work a little harder than usual. Magnus took a picture of him there and Alec laughed, "Is that going to be your answer to everything?"

Magnus blushed, but quickly regained his confidence, "You're adorable. I can't help myself." Now it was Alec's turn to blush, looking flattered but also completely embarrassed.

"I'm not sure adorable is the right word." Alec said, biting his lip.

Raising an eyebrow, Magnus said, "I'm sure that somewhere in this enormous library is a dictionary and I can look up the definition if you want. I can assure you that it's the right adjective. Thought some might argue that beautiful is a bit more fitting."

Alec could not have blushed brighter, he looked away from Magnus and sighed. "Are you always going to be saying things like that?"

"I say what I'm thinking."

Groaning, Alec laid his head on his hands, "I'll take that as an unfortunate yes that can hopefully be changed into a no."

Magnus gasped, causing Alec to look up. He grinned broadly at the other boy, "You, Alexander are wonderful and I'm not going to not say it." Mentally slapping himself and hearing Will screaming about taking it slow and not rushing into things, Magnus watched Alec bite his lip.

"I'm not really that wonderful. Isabelle says I'm overprotective, Jace says I'm a freak of nature and my dad says I have no friends." Magnus' idea of the Lightwoods being a perfect family was shattered a little, thinking of how horrible it was that Alec had taken these words to heart. They were probably said as advice or in the heat of an argument. But here Alec was, defending his right to the title wonderful with words that someone else had burned into his mind.

Shaking his head, Magnus smiled at him, "I will have to fight you on that one."

"Of course you do." Alec rolled his eyes, blushing slightly but smiling all the same. "You're funny." He stated this plainly, "it's weird that we haven't talked a ton, considering the fact you live here."

"I suppose it is." Magnus was intending to say more, lots more. He wanted to spend the rest of the summer just standing there talking with Alec. Making him blush and forcing his mind away from his own cruel opinion of himself. But the door downstairs opened and Isabelle popped her head in.

"Alec?" Isabelle called and Alec waved, "Oh Magnus too, good. Dinner's ready and if you don't come out soon it's going to get cold and mum's going to flip her shit." Isabelle said it all quickly and seriously, closing the door behind her. Magnus imagined her marching away, ponytail swinging from shoulder to shoulder.

Magnus started to walk towards the stairs when Alec grabbed his hand. Trying to ignore the fact that his heart practically stopped or the fact that Alec's hands were the warm and rough, Magnus gave the other boy a cheeky smile. "You're going to have to take me on a date if you want to go any further." Though he meant it entirely teasingly, Alec gave him an even cheekier grin.

"Maybe I will."

Magnus' jaw dropped. Excuse me? He was going to take Magnus on a? They were going to go on a? Thinking that he was dreaming and cursing his avid imagination, Magnus sighed. Alec's brow furrowed.

"I will think about that sigh later, there's one more thing I want to show you. I just thought of it and you are going to love it. Close your eyes." Magnus obeyed, wondering where this was going and trying to keep his mental Will from heading straight to the gutter. Keeping Magnus' hand in his own and jolting Magnus out of his idea that this was all a very vivid dream, Alec led Magnus deeper into the library. They stopped suddenly and Magnus could hear the smile in Alec's voice when he talked.

"Okay." He said, "Open them."

Magnus did and was briefly confused as to why Alec was showing him more books, seeing as they were everywhere, but then he noticed the titles, the covers and the authors. "You're kidding me." Magnus said, looking at Alec and gaping, "You must be kidding me." His hand left Alec's to come up and rest on his mouth. He ran his fingers over the spines and whispered an "Oh my god."

"I knew you'd like it." Alec said happily, shoving his hands in his pockets and watching Magnus fawn over the books.

Magnus continued to stare at them, "There is a fashion section to your library."

"Isabelle got really into fashion when we were younger. My parents bought her the books because they wanted to encourage her to read. But then she realized she couldn't draw and abandoned the whole thing. Nobody reads them, they're all yours."

Alec nearly fell over when Magnus leapt on him, wrapping his arms around Alec and squealing. "This is amazing!" He cried, "But we really should get to dinner." Sighing wistfully, Magnus turned away from the books and Alec laughed.

"They'll be here tomorrow. Don't worry."

The two of them started down the stairs, Magnus bouncing in excitement of the prospect of reading those new books and Alec watching him, amused. They left the library and wandered out into the hall, walking side by side.

"Magnus," Alec said suddenly, "I was kidding about the whole date thing." Magnus' spirits dropped, "But how about I take you out into town tomorrow. I can show you all around and introduce you to everyone. We can take my pickup." Magnus was amazed at how quickly Alec could crush his hopes and then bring them back to life.

Magnus grinned, "That sounds like fun. You sure you don't mind?"

"I like you." Alec said, looking down at his feet, "I don't have a lot of friends and you haven't gotten to see anything but our house. Why not?"

"Then I'd love to." Magnus said, meeting Alec's eyes and trying not to turn fire engine red.

Alec smiled at him and the two headed to dinner. The only thing on Magnus' mind was the prospect of spending the day with Alec and talking to the boy who had stolen his heart. The Will who was currently taking up residence in his brain cursed him for going to quickly, but Magnus dispelled him easily. They weren't going on a date, they were just going into town and Alec was going to show him around. Magnus could get to know Alec and highly doubted that that much could change in a day.

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**There we are folks! End of Chapter 4! The next chapter is entirely Malec, all about their day together and it's currently in the works! Follow the story to get an alert when I update next and let me know what you thought by leaving a review!**

**xx**


	6. Chapter 5

**So here it is! Finally! Sorry for the long wait, though I'm hoping this enormous chapter is going to make up for it. I debated making it two chapters, but couldn't really find a place to end one to begin the next. So this chapter ended up being eleven thousand words... with some familiar faces tossed in! Read and review!**

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Magnus leaned against the door of his room, his mind racing. Dinner had rushed by, Alec bidding him goodnight with a soft smile and the promise of taking Magnus into town the next day. Rushing over to grab his phone, Magnus tried (and failed) to calm his beating heart. Punching in Camille's number with a practiced ease, Magnus tapped his fingers on his thighs waiting for her to pick up.

"Cam." He said, the second the ringing stopped. "We have a date. Well sort of a date I don't know."

"Excuse me?" Camille practically screamed in his ear, causing him to move the phone a few inches away from his face. "You have a what?"

He sighed, "You heard me Cam, I have a date with an adorable country boy and it's not really a date because he's still shy and pretending to be extremely straight, but he's taking me into town. Him and me." Magnus paused, "All fucking day."

There was a small silence, "You lucky bastard."

Magnus laughed, "I know. But he still doesn't see it as a date." He pouted, even though she couldn't see him. They really needed to organize a skype of some sort, he missed her face considerably. Ignoring how stupid he knew he sounded, Magnus picked a bit of dirt out of his finger nails and turned all his thoughts back to Camille's reaction.

"It doesn't matter how he sees it Mag," He grimaced at the nickname but let her continue, "Alec needs to spend time with you, get to know you. Once he does that he'll have to fall madly in love with you. It's law."

Snorting Magnus raised an eyebrow his friend could definitely not see, "I'm raising an eyebrow darling. And anyways, we had some pretty flirty talk time today in the library. I know you're not into books and that kind of thing, but this library was fucking amazing."

"Don't tell Tessa, she might cry." Camille sighed dramatically, then quickly changed gears, "Flirty talk time? Spill."

Knowing she wouldn't give up, Magnus bit his lip and launched into a quick explanation, "Him, me, library bursting with books. He comes up, cute comments about me taking pictures, he thinks he's stupid, I tell him he's not. He finds me fashion section of amazing library, we hold hands on the way to said section, he offers to take me into town." Magnus did it all with one breath, making it quick, short and simple. Their friends joked about the two of them never ceasing with their endless chatter, but when it came down to it, Magnus and Camille were not ones for the endless blather. They wanted quick and to the point, when telling stories that is. If Magnus was going to profess his love for Alec from the rooftops, it was going to be so wonderfully poetic that Shakespeare would have been impressed.

"Hmmm." Camille hummed softly, probably biting her lip and maybe painting her nails, she made a lot of noise when she was thinking or concentrating, so for all Magnus knew she could be multitasking. "Will is going to give you hell for this." She said simply, "He really doesn't want you to get in too deep Magnus."

She used his real name, Magnus noted that this meant she was pretty serious. Usually she would shorten it or call him some swear word or some dopy nickname. "I know he will." Magnus sighed, "But the honest truth is Cam," He bit his lip now, an action he wasn't prone to, "He's perfect. He's funny and cute and smart and caring." Magus ran and hand through his hair and groaned, "My dream guy walked out of my mind and into my life and all anyone wants me to do is take it slow."

Camille laughed slightly, "I know it sucks sweetie, but you don't want to psych out cutie dream man. He might spook easily."

"My dream man does not spook." Magnus protested.

"Yeah." She sighed, "But Alec might." He nodded, knowing she was right and letting his silence speak for him, "You just need to calm down, talk to him and enjoy his dreamy goodness. Then when the time is right, have your dreamy dream man relationship. But don't rush in and crap on the party."

"Crap on the party?"

"Yes." Camille said matter-of-factly, "Do you remember that time Jessamine went to that party that Nate was going to be at even though she'd drunk a ton of vodka that afternoon?"

Magnus winced, they'd thought it was a good idea to get hammered in the afternoon, on vodka of all things. So, it had been a particularly bad night to go partying and Jessamine got pissed if anyone mentioned it because-

"-She got the shits." Camille answered for him. "She literally crapped all over the party and ruined the whole thing. Jess could have waited. She could have simply gone to the party that Nate was going to the next night. Honestly that man is a party animal and a half. But you get the point."

"I shouldn't go to a party when I have the shits?" There was a bang on the other side of the line and Magnus laughed, "Did you slam your face into the table again?"

"Hell yes. You go enjoy your dream man, don't get the shits, don't rush in and leave me to my beauty sleep."

Nodding, Magnus went to hang up, "I'll call with the full scoop after the date. We can skype or something. Get the whole group together and call me." She made a noise he took as a yes and hung up.

Magnus laid out some clothes for the next day, nothing crazy. He went for a simple shorts and a tank top, going for a grey one that said 'Bad decisions make good stories.' Camille had bought it for his birthday and Magnus adored it. Tucking some casual shoes on the floor next to his simple ensemble, Magnus changed into some boxers, washed off his makeup and collapsed into his plush bed.

His blaring alarm woke him up the next day and he groaned. But the knowledge of what was going to happen that day hit Magnus full force after approximately twelve seconds and he bolted out of bed. Magnus put on his clothes and began to carefully do his hair, trying to make it look like he'd just got out of bed in that sexy, not overdone way. Making a dissatisfied noise, Magnus decided it was close enough and grabbed his camera.

Alec was already downstairs, listening to Max jabber on about some comic and nodding in what Magnus hoped was all the right places. He gave Magnus a stunning smile and gestured to the seat next to him. Maryse was in the kitchen again, humming slightly and winked at Magnus when she handed him a plate of waffles.

"Waffles?" He laughed, "You are a miracle worker."

She gave him a beaming smile, "The perfect thing for a Friday morning I think. Are you looking forward to finally seeing the town? Alec mentioned he was going to show you around this afternoon."

Magnus nodded, "I've got the camera and everything. I'm all set." He waved the camera around, making Maryse laugh. Turning to the boys, he adjusted the lens and called for their attention, "Smile!" They both grinned, the signature smile which seemed to run in the Lightwood family.

Nodding at the way the picture turned out and shoving some waffle in his mouth, Magnus listened to Max explain some big fight scene to Alec while he finished his breakfast. Maryse hung up her apron and washed her hands, kissing the top Max's head before heading up the stairs.

"-And then, the Crusader-"

"The one with no parents?"

"Yeah, yeah that one. He turns to the other guy and pulls out this giant sword." Max almost threw his fork in the air, flinging syrup around as he waved his arms talking about the comic. Magnus had no idea what they were talking about but found it amusing to watch Alec try and keep up with the insane story Max was trying to tell.

Somewhere after the Crusader saved the day, Alec noticed that Magnus was done his food and picked up his plate. Stacking both their dishes in the sink and stopping his brother's story, Alec grabbed his keys off the wall.

"Sorry bud," He said, hugging Max from behind with one arm, "I'm going to take Magnus into town. You'll have to finish the story later." Max nodded, looking a bit disappointed but not making a fuss.

"Sorry Max." Magnus said, feeling a seed of guilt for stealing his brother away in the middle of his story, "Maybe if you're good we'll bring you back a treasure from our adventures." Max gave him a happy smile and Magnus winked at him. "Why don't you head up and find Jace. I'm sure he'll be happy to have some waffles."

Max raced up the stairs, thumping the whole way up and making a ridiculous amount of noise. Alec and Magnus headed out the front door, Alec unlocking the truck and the two of them getting inside.

"So," Alec said, backing out of the drive with ease, "You ready to see the town? I'll introduce you to everyone, we can get lunch at this awesome little diner and then, when you get tired of the nostalgia tour, we'll head home." Magnus smiled, Alec's plans for lunch showed he'd put a bit of thought into their day together and that notion made his head spin.

"Sounds good!" He turned on the radio, Magnus singing along obnoxiously to a country song where he only knew half the words and Alec laughing as he drove. Magnus made sure to get pictures of Alec driving, noting the way his arms looked when he tapped his fingers on the wheel.

There were twenty minutes of this, going from companionable silence to the two of them goofing around with the radio. Being with Alec was easier than he could have imagined and more fun than Magnus would have thought.

Alec broke the silence as they approached the town, "Are you ready to see what the small town life is like?" He glanced over at Magnus, "I'm sure it'll be totally different from what you're used to."

"We have to drive twenty minutes to get to town. I walk out my door and I'm in town." Magnus admitted with a breathless laugh. Alec nodded, pulling into a parking spot outside what looked like a school and jumping out of the car. He opened Magnus' door and offered the other boy his hand. Magnus took it, trying not to blush and Alec helped him out of the truck.

He looked around, noting the small groups of people talking and laughing, the few cars (almost all of which were trucks of some sort) and the smattering of shops.

"This is it."

He raised his eyebrows, "This is everything. You get everything here." Magnus couldn't fully believe that they managed to buy everything in this tiny little town.

Alec shrugged his shoulders, "There is a town about an hour and a half away, but there's usually not much point in going there, it's basically the same." Magnus looked at him horrified for a moment and Alec laughed, "What's the matter?"

"Where do you shop?"

This made Alec laugh harder, "There's a couple clothing shops here and a nicknack shop that sells scarves and stuff." Magnus looked at Alec, his eyes wide and he was looking like he couldn't honestly process what Alec had just tried to tell him.

"There is no way Isabelle can live like this." Magnus stated, knowing that of all people, Alec's sister must shop somewhere else. He got a fashion vibe from her, not to mention her abandoned dream of being a fashion designer. A girl like that couldn't survive on a few shops.

Alec shook his head, "No, she orders tons of stuff online. She gets a massive package every month or so. Izzy has enough clothes for a dozen people." Magnus nodded, though he was still rather horrified.

He gasped suddenly, looking at Alec suspiciously, "Do you get your clothes online?"

"Sometimes. Isabelle mostly sorts out my clothes. I used to wear a lot of black when I was younger and she took it upon herself to make sure that didn't happen as much." Magnus nodded again. Isabelle was right, with eyes like Alec's there were so many more flattering options than black. It was a fact. Alec smiled the adorable smile that made his face light up and his eyes crinkle.

Magnus took a picture, causing Alec to roll his eyes and grab his hand. "C'mon. Enough clothes talking and picture taking, there's exploring to do."

He led Magnus down the street and into the first shop they saw. It smelled musty and stuffy, making Magnus crinkle his nose. Alec laughed at the look on his face. "This is Luke's bookshop. We do all of our book shopping here." Magnus wondered how a small town could possibly have so many books. There were shelves and shelves of books, small stacks littering the floor and Magnus was scared he would knock them over if he so much as breathed on them.

"How can you possibly find this many books?" Magnus said, waving his arms and almost knocking over a massive stack of books. They teetered for a moment before and girl rushing in from the back.

"Whoa there." She said, steadying the stack and laughing a little, "Careful city boy, you're going to cause a book-valanche." Magnus took the girl in, admiring the way she wore her curled hair in a delicate bun.

He was intending to make a snarky comment about stacking the books so precariously but instead all he blurted was, "How'd you know I was from the city?"

The girl laughed again, her brown eyes lighting up. She looked at Alec, "He's a piece of work, huh? Hey, Alec." She hugged Alec, making Magnus more jealous than he'd admit. "I'm Maia Roberts." Maia stuck out a tanned hand, which Magnus shook after a brief moment.

"Uh," He said, "Magnus. Magnus Bane." Magnus held up his camera and snapped a few pictures of the old bookshelves and the counter and cashier tucked into the corner. Maia watched him and smiled.

"I take it you're the city boy who's staying with the Lightwoods then? Sorry if Jace gives you some hassle. He can be a right ass that brother of yours." She spoke warmly, fixing the books and tsking when she talked about Jace.

Alec snorted, "Don't I know it." The two of them laughed and Alec leaned against the counter as Maia sorted through some receipts. Magnus snagged a picture of her there, head down with a few curls falling into her face. "This is Maia, she's in the same year as Jace and Isabelle. She works for Luke, dated Simon and is honestly one of the most kickass soccer players I know. Not to mention she destroys on video game night."

"Video game night?" Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow.

Maia grinned at him, flashing stark white teeth, "Yeah, the Lightwoods invite over 'bunch of teenagers and hold a massive video game showdown. It's hilarious." She was going to say more, when the door to the bookstore opened and the small bell by the door rung.

It was a man, who Magnus thought looked rather scruffy but didn't say anything. The man laughed and clapped Alec on the shoulder, "Graced with your presence are we? How's the family?"

Alec laughed with him, "Pretty good, no disasters unless you count our houseguest over here." He pointed to Magnus teasingly, making the other boy blush. The man's attention turned to him, Magnus noticed that he had blue eyes like Alec though they were lighter.

"Luke." The man said, making Magnus nod, this man was clearly the owner of the bookshop. He stuck out a hand which Magnus shook, trying to make his hand shake firm and not wimpy like Luke would have been expecting. Being around all these country-folk made Magnus feel pretty scrawny, something he wasn't overly fond of. "Jocelyn wanted me to invite you to the wedding formally, seeing as all the Lightwoods will be there."

Magnus' eyes widened and he looked at Alec helplessly, was he really supposed to go to this stranger's wedding? Who the hell was Jocelyn? Alec just laughed and nodded, "No sweat Luke, he'll be there. Mum wouldn't stand to leave him behind whether you liked it or not."

"She's a good woman your mother." Luke said, winking at the two of them and heading deeper into the bookstore, "I'll see you boys around, I gotta go grab the truck and then grab Amatis from the airport."

Alec saw Magnus' look of confusion and leaned in to whisper, "His sister."

"She comin' in for the wedding?" Maia called to Luke, causing him to whirl around and nod. "I thought you two weren't close? You don't talk 'bout her a lot."

"Yeah," Luke said, looking rather uncomfortable and running his hands through his brown hair, "We're not but Jocelyn wants to catch up with her and says it would be ridiculous not to invite my family to our weddin'."

Making a noise of understanding, Alec chimed in, "She moved into the city pretty young didn't she?"

Luke sighed, "Yeah, she was always complaining about livin' in 'the middle of nowhere' as she called it. I think I'd miss the peace and quiet if I'm honest."

"I hear ya." Alec laughed, "We should head out, I'm givin' Magnus the tour. We've got some more to see before lunch."

"I'll catch you boys later." Luke called, waving to them as he wandered into what looked like a back office. He was muttering something about 'damn keys' and it made Magnus smile.

Alec raised a hand in farewell to Luke and jumped up on the counter to kiss Maia on the cheek. Magnus watched as his dream boy planted one on the tanned girl's cheek, got one in return and then she whispered something in his ear. Blushing from ear to ear, Alec made his way over to the door, Magnus following wordlessly. Maia laughed and waggled her fingers at them, "Toodles fellas." Alec waved back and the two of them stepped back out into the sun.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Magnus blurted as soon as the door closed and Alec started.

He looked from the store to Magnus, "What? No, why do you ask?" Magnus blushed and looked down at his feet.

He shrugged, looking off down the street and avoiding Alec's curious stare, "The two of you seemed pretty cozy, not to mention the looks she kept giving you."

When Magnus turned back to him, Alec was blushing fiercely. "Uh, no she's got a boyfriend, Jordan. Besides she's uh," He bit his lip, "She's not really my type. I mean she's nice and everything." Alec said, starting to walk down the street. "Just not really. Uh, yeah. Me and her. No. Definitely not a couple."

Magnus bit back a laugh as Alec ran a nervous hand through his hair. Magnus had a feeling that Alec's type was a bit more male than Maia, but he wasn't going to scare him off by saying that outloud. He decided to change the subject as the two of them walked, Alec kicking a stone in front of him and Magnus grabbing some photos of the streets and storefronts. They skipped over the less exciting stores, like the grocer and the florist.

Alec waved at some old ladies, them all calling his name and waving back. "You get more country around them." Magnus said with a laugh, having noticed that when talking with Luke and Maia, Alec's country accent had become far stronger.

Clearly Alec had yet to notice this, "I do?" He said, sounding a bit more normal. Magnus noticed immediately that the country was fading and nodded.

"You really do. You sound like you've walked right out of a TV show about raising show horses, the Texan twang and all." He gave Alec a teasing grin and imitated his accent horribly, sounding more like a cartoon cowboy than anyone actually from Texas. Alec laughed loudly, giving Magnus an incredulous look.

Alec shook his head, "You're crazy. Anyways," he said, "This good sir is the first of many nicknack shops." Magnus snapped a picture of the front and Alec held the door open as he walked in.

Giggling at some of the things on the shelves, Magnus took more pictures and spun to look at Alec for a second, "So, Luke. How'd you know him."

"Well he lives here." Alec said, earning a glare from Magnus, "He's engaged to Jocelyn who's Clary's mum. The two of them have been dating for ages. They were friends as kids, with my mum too, and then Jocelyn moved away to the city. She met this guy there who was Clary's dad but apparently he was awful. She divorced him and returned home with baby Clary who is now around sixteen. Her best friend is Simon and Jace has a massive crush on her but pretends like it's nothing."

Magnus raised an eyebrow, "That's some serious drama for such a sleepy little town." Alec laughed, shrugging slightly and adjusting one of the small wooden birds on the shelves. Magnus took a picture of his there, light coming in from behind him, smile on his face and his hand reaching out to move the figurine.

"You take so many pictures."

Alec was shaking his head, still smiling at Mangus but looking at him with what was almost wonder. Magnus wondered if time could stop, right there with Alec looking at him and making him feel like the only thing in the universe. But Alec cleared his throat and the moment was gone, just as quickly as it had come.

"So," Alec said, giving him a small smile, "Do you want to see one of our few clothing stores?"

Magnus nodded, "Show me the way."

The two of them went to leave the store, Alec noticing on their way out that a woman had arrived at the counter. "Ms Highsmith!" He called out, giving her a cheerful wave. Magnus was startled when the woman paled, giving Alec a tense wave and an uncomfortable smile.

Alec seemed to notice it too and he led Magnus out of the store. They walked down the street, Magnus following Alec's lead. His curiosity about the woman grew.

"So," He said, breaking the brief silence, "That was a little weird."

"The store?"

Magnus shook his head, "No, her reaction to you saying 'hi' to her. She doesn't really fit the whole welcoming country town vibe you guys have got going on here."

"Oh," Alec shrugged, "She used to be really nice, But then around the time Max was born she got really awkward and cold towards us. My mum especially. It was super weird." His eyebrows furrowed, like there was some piece of the story he didn't know and he didn't like to dwell on it too much.

Making a mental note to ask Isabelle to see if she knew more, Magnus opened the door for Alec this time, the two of them going into the clothing store. Magnus grinned, he was going to get Alec to try something on and buy it if it killed him.

"How about this one?" He said, holding up what must have been the hundredth top. Magnus had underestimated how stubborn Alec would be about trying things on. This shirt was dark blue plaid and would make Alec's eyes pop.

Those same eyes rolled, "Magnus I don't need any clothes." He insisted, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Why don't you pick something out. You said you loved shopping."

"I do, but you have a greater need for clothes than I do and I could never pull off plaid."

Alec groaned, finally taking the offending article from Magnus and wandering over to the change rooms. A woman with sharp cheekbones and startling silver hair came over, looking rather haughty.

"Did he actually convince you to try something on?" Her voice was quiet but warm, a clear contrast to her appearance, "Not even Isabelle has managed that." She smiled at Magnus making her hazel eyes less cold, "You should see the way she drags him into here, him bellyaching the whole way and her demanding that he try things on." She laughed, "Maryse sure has her hands full."

Alec laughed too, wandering into the change rooms and leaving Magnus alone with the woman. He put out a hand, "Magnus Bane. I'm staying with the Lightwoods for the summer."

She nodded, "Madeleine Bellefleur, but just call me Maddie." Maddie smiled at him, "Everyone does."

Alec came out of the changerooms looking rather put out, but wearing the shirt nonetheless. Magnus clapped his hands, it was perfect. It made Alec look like every girl's fantasy and Magnus gave himself a mental pat on the back. Maddie grinned as well, the smile making her a bit softer on the eyes, though Magnus wasn't sure she could be considered pretty, she was almost too harsh and angular for the shallow word.

"You have to get it."

He looked up at Magnus' words, giving him a stare and then looking at himself in the mirror, "I don't see what the big deal is." Alec said, fiddling with the hem of the shirt.

Maddie clicked her tongue, "Don't be silly dear, it looks very good. You should get it. I can charge it to your mother's account." She didn't give him time to say much else before she started to punch in the codes to the cash register. Maddie looked up when Alec went to go back into the changeroom, "You should wear it out." She said, Magnus nodding his agreement.

"It does look really good Alec." Magnus said, admiring the way his words made Alec blush almost instantaneously. But Alec still nodded, grabbed the shirt he was wearing earlier and the two of them left the store, Maddie assuring them that she'd charged it and there was nothing to worry about.

Alec squinted in the sun, "Do you want to head back to the truck so I can put this shirt away and then we'll grab lunch?" Magnus nodded and they headed off again.

"So," Magnus said, "Any small town gossip about Maddie?"

Shrugged, Alec unlocked the truck and tossed his shirt on the passenger seat, "Not really, she was friends with Jocelyn back before she left the country and she helped Jocelyn come back after she was desperate to leave her husband."

Letting out a low whistle, Magnus shuffled his feet along, "There's a lot of crazy going on with that family." Alec laughed and nodded.

"Nicest people you'll ever meet though." He pointed to a diner on the corner, the fading sign reading 'Taki's' Diner, "That is where we are headed, the best hamburger in Texas if you'll believe it." Alec gave Magnus a grin, "We can catch you up on the town gossip there."

They walked in and sure enough, it was full of people eating hamburgers, though there were a few sandwiches and salads in the mix. There was a girl standing behind the counter, hand on her chin and a lazy smile on her face. She brightened up and ran from behind the counter when they walked in.

"Alexander Lightwood." She cried, giving him a massive hug and planting a kiss on his cheek, "Bought time you came to visit!" She laughed and noticed Magnus, "And who might this be?" Her eyebrow raised at Alec who blushed, she stuck out a hand.

Magnus grasped it, giving her a bright smile, "Magnus Bane."

Her eyes widened, "Oh, this is the big city boy! I'm Aline Penhallow, my mama and I run this fine establishment and I've know Mr Alexander here since he was in diapers." She poked Alec in the shoulder as she said this and Magnus laughed. Aline had black hair that was pulled up into a bun and secured with pencils, dark brown eyes that shone when she smiled and a black waitress apron wrapped around her waist. Magnus, though he feared she was a threat to his happy ending with Alec, took a liking to her immediately. "You two sit on down at the counter where we can chat it up." She pushed them over to the bright red barstools.

Aline suddenly rushed off to grab an order and Alec laughed, "Aline's awesome, never shuts up but undoubtedly awesome." He grabbed a seat at one of the stools and grinned at a woman coming out from the kitchen. "Afternoon Jia."

Jia smiled back and Magnus realized she must be Aline's mother, going from the striking resemblance. "This must be Magnus, our resident big city visitor. I'd shake your hand but I'm afraid mine are covered in cookie dough." She laughed and held up her filthy hands, "Makin' the cookies for the diner is fun, but it ain't the cleanest job."

Magnus nodded, "What should we order then?"

"Why, our famous hamburger of course!" Jia smiled, "You can't not try the hamburger. Unless you're one of them vegetarians. Then you don't have to try it I guess." Her smile faded slightly, "Are you a vegetarian?"

Grinning broadly and shaking his head, Magnus said, "Nope, I will happily try one of your hamburgers."

Jia cheered, "You may be a big city boy but at least you're not one of those crazies." She went back into the kitchen, yelling out for, "One classic hamburger and Alec's usual."

Magnus raised an eyebrow at Alec, "You have a usual?"

Alec shrugged, "I come here all the time to visit Aline, Isabelle and I practically live here sometimes." Aline winked at them from behind the counter where she was serving up milkshakes. She popped a chocolate one in front of each of them and smiled.

"So then big city boy," Aline leaned against the counter, "How's our small town life treatin' you?"

Giving her a smile and taking a sip of his milkshake Magnus bit back a groan, "Holy shit." He said, making Aline and Alec laugh, "That is the most amazing thing I've ever tasted."

Alec took a sip of his own milkshake and nodded, "Wait until your burger comes, you won't even know what hit you." He suddenly looked around, "Where's Helen? I thought she usually comes by to pick you up after your shift. Which should end in like ten minutes."

Aline nodded and Magnus just looked between the two of them, trying to figure out who Helen was. "She said she was going to be late today so I've got some extra time with you two gentlemen." Alec nodded and she turned her attention back to Magnus.

"Has Jace given you a lot of trouble yet?"

Magnus shook his head, "Don't see him around often. He's always out when I'm there and when he is home he holes up in his room a lot."

She nodded, biting her lip, "I still can't believe I had a crush on that ass."

Almost spitting his drink over the table, Magnus looked at her in surprise, "Why does everyone think Jace is such an ass? He seems alright to me." Admittedly his interactions with Jace hadn't exactly been friendly, but the teenagers seemed to think Jace was hell-incarnate or something.

"He's got no filter," Alec shrugged, "He's a pretty big douche but we all put up with him and love him anyways." He fiddled with one of the napkins on the counter, folding and unfolding it repeatedly.

Aline snorted, "You do, I don't put up with any of Jace's crap. Not anymore at least."

"Aline was head over heals for Jace back in elementary school." Alec explained, "It was both cute and just a little bit pathetic." Magnus nodded and laughed at the sour look on Aline's face. Clearly not everyone was over how obsessed she'd been and Magnus wondered if there was a bit more to that story.

Suddenly the door to the diner opened and Aline's face soared. Alec turned around and waved to the newcomer, causing Magnus to look over to see who it was. The girl was paler than anyone in the town Magnus had seen so far, with blonde ringlets and strange green blue eyes. She smiled at Helen and wandered over, Magnus noticing she was petite and looked even smaller next to Alec.

"Hey Helen," Alec said warmly, Magnus finally putting the pieces together.

The girl smiled and hoisted herself onto the barstool next to Alec, "Alec. Big city boy." She winked at Magnus and laughed when he looked surprised.

"How does everyone know I'm from the city?" Magnus laughed, throwing his hands in the air in fake exasperation. Alec laughed and shrugged, looking to the girls to answer.

"I haven't seen you before," Helen said, "Not to mention the fact you're wearing guyliner." She winked at him and he laughed and winked back. Alec just rolled his eyes and took another sip of his milkshake.

He leaned on the counter and smiled at Helen, making Magnus more jealous than he'd like to imagine. Magnus had a pretty strong feeling Alec was gay by now, it was pretty obvious. But he couldn't help but wonder if these girls who had known him longer had the advantage. "How's life at the zoo you call a house?"

Helen laughed, running a hand through her ringlets and throwing a look at Alec, "You're one to talk mister. The Lightwoods, four kids and counting." She gave Magnus an almost blinding grin.

"Four kids is nothing compared to eight."

Magnus very nearly did a spit take, causing the others to look at him and laugh, "Eight kids? Are you kidding?" He turned his wide eyes to her and she nodded.

"You heard him," Helen sighed, "I'm the second oldest and I'm getting awful tired of pulling things out of siblings mouths."

Alec snorted, "Been there, done that. Isabelle used to try and swallow everything not to mention Jace's habit of trying to eat insects." The girls laughed and Magnus grinned, Alec wasn't even that much older than his siblings. He wondered if Alec had just been born worrying about their wellbeing.

"And the youngest?" Helen asked, "Max isn't causin' you any grief?"

"Nah," Alec said, stirring his drink with the straw, "Max is an angel. All he likes is sleeping and comic books."

"That boy is just like you." Aline said, wiping the counter with a grungy washcloth, "Don't give me that look, you had a comicbooks faze and lord knows the two of you could sleep anywhere." She looked at Magnus, "The Lightwoods are like cats. They fall asleep all over the place."

Magnus laughed, "Even Jace?"

"God no." Alec said, "I guess Jace would fall asleep anywhere but only if he cleaned it first." Magnus raised his eyebrows and Alec nodded, "Jace is the biggest neat freak in the whole universe."

"What are you saying about me?" Jace walked up, leaning on his brother's back and grabbing his milkshake. "Urgh, chocolate." He took one sip and then handed it back, Alec taking it with a resigned sigh.

"We were talking about how you're a neat freak," Alec said, spinning on his barstool to grin at his brother. "You can't even deny it."

Jace shrugged, "I can be proud of that, at least I'm not living in a pigsty like Izzy."

Almost as soon as he'd given it back, Jace tried to take another sip of Alec's milkshake. The brothers had a resulting squabble which Magnus found amusing. Helen and Aline just rolled their eyes, like this was something that happened a lot. Though, knowing the Lightwood siblings, banter and arguments were most certainly the norm.

"You don't even like this flavour."

"Yeah, but it tastes better when it's yours."

"You suck."

"I would if you would give me the damn milkshake."

"Just order one."

"But that's no fun. I like stealing from you."

"You're satan."

"Yes we covered that after the mustard incident last year."

Magnus laughed as Jace reached for the milkshake and Alec continued to push him away. Then Jia came out from the back carrying a to-go tray of milkshakes and rolling her eyes.

"Here's your order darlin'," She said, handing the tray to Jace who'd stopped bugging Alec. Alec was staring at Jace, his mouth open.

"You're kidding right." Alec said, staring at his brother, on the brink of laughing with his mouth still open. Aline snorted, Helen giggled and Magnus resisted the urge to burst out laughing.

Jace grinned, "Nope. Mum drove me down and I'm headin' over to see Clary, but I will be home for dinner." He laughed at the look on Alec's face. "C'mon now Alec, we both know you shouldn't have expected anything different from me."

Alec opened his mouth, paused for a moment and then nodded, "True." He shrugged and took another sip of his milkshake. "Tell Clary I say hi."

Nodding, Jace shifted his grip on the to-go tray, wrapped Alec in a one armed hug, waved to the rest of them and left. On his way out he almost bumped into one of the waitresses, a tall skinny girl with blonde hair who gave Jace a flirtatious look that he seemed to ignore.

As soon as he was gone, Aline checked the clock, grinning. "Thank god." She said, "My shift is finally over." Untying her apron, she called back to Jia, "Mama I'm headin' out now, Helen and I are going to wander 'round town for a bit."

"Sure thing honey," Jia said, "Make sure to be back for dinner, your cousin is coming into town tonight and we want you to be here."

Alec raised an eyebrow at Aline, "Cousin?"

She nodded, "Some guy named Sebastian," Aline groaned, "I've never met him and now supposedly he's just going to stay with us? Who does that?" Magnus raised his hand with a laugh and Aline blushed, "Oops, I didn't really mean it like that."

"Wasn't really my choice anyways, I thought it was pretty crazy too." They all looked at Magnus, somewhat surprised and he snorted, "You thought I wanted to come here for the summer to live with a family I'd never met?"

Helen opened her mouth, then closed it again, "He does have a point. But still, did your parents just chuck you on a plane?"

"Pretty much."

Alec didn't say anything, he just watched Magnus, his face the picture of sympathy. His watchful blue eyes stayed trained on Magnus as he took another sip of his milkshake and plastered on a cocky smile. But Alec could see, the slight look in his eyes that gave away what even Magnus didn't realize he was feeling.

Magnus was hurt.

"Well, gentlemen." Aline said, sighing loudly and stretching her arms above her head, "I'm going to take this lovely lady's arm here and we are going to head out."

Alec waved, "See you around then?"

Helen nodded, "Of course!" She slid off the barstool and walked over to where Aline was coming from around the counter. And to Magnus' surprise, Helen leaned in and kissed Aline full on the mouth. There was an admirable courage about it, Magnus noted the way some people watched them with disgust or disappointment. Jia saw them, pursed her lips and pointedly looked away.

The two girls waved at Alec and an impressed Magnus, who returned the wave and turned back to the counter where Jia had placed two burgers.

"There you are darlings." She said, though her voice was sort of strained and she was watching her daughter through the window. Magnus glanced over his shoulder, getting a brief glimpse of the two girls walking away from the diner, hand in hand, with Helen's hair glowing in the light and the two of them laughing.

He turned back to see Jia frowned, rubbing a hand over her face and sighing. "That's never going to last, she's going to realize at some point that it's just a phase. It's sort of disgusting it is, how she thinks that's real." She looked at Alec and smiled, "I wish Aline would be more like you. Responsible, sensible." She muttered something else under her breath. Magnus heard it and so did Alec, judging by the way that that Alec's hands tightened into fists under the table.

"I'm gay." Magnus said shamelessly, making some people turn their heads and Jia looked at him surprised and confused, like she hadn't heard him properly.

"What was that darlin'?" She said, her voice rather high.

"I'm gay." He repeated, getting a little bit of sick pleasure from the stunned expression on her face. "And I think it's pretty great that Aline's found someone who makes her happy. Even if she isn't as 'normal' as you'd like." Alec's hands loosened and he was looking at Magnus with a rather adoring look in his eyes. Magnus glanced at Alec but kept his attention on Jia.

She blushed and looked away, dashing back into the kitchen without another word. Magnus smirked, feeling good about telling the woman off, because she shouldn't say things like that about her daughter to anyone, let alone complete strangers. He looked over to see Alec still watching him, a small smile on his face.

"What?" Magnus asked, smiling back slightly, trying not to blush.

Alec shook his head, picking at his fries and laughing slightly, "You, Magnus Bane are something else." Magnus blushed and picked up his own burger.

"Despite the rather alarming homophobia I just witnessed," He said lightly, "Is this burger all it's been chalked up to be?" Magnus looked at it from all angles before quickly putting it down and taking a picture. Alec laughed and nodded.

"Here." He said, taking the camera from Magnus and holding it up, "Smile." Magnus grinned, holding the enormous burger next to his face and making Alec laugh. There was a click and Alec pulled back from the camera, looking at the small screen and nodding in approval.

Magnus took a bite out of the burger and practically moaned. "Oh my god." Alec laughed adding some ketchup to his own burger before biting in. "That's amazing. I can't even - there has never been a burger this amazing." Magnus said, staring at it before taking another bite. "I don't think I will ever be able to eat again, unless it's this burger." He said with his mouth full, causing Alec to laugh and almost choke on his own burger.

"I'm glad you like it." Alec said, a bright smile on his face.

They ate in mostly companionable silence, Magnus raving about his burger occasionally and the two of them having an argument over whether or not it was a crime that Magnus had never seen an X-Men movie.

"How have you not seen one?" Alec said after he'd paid, the two of them heading back into the streets. Squinting, Magnus shrugged.

"I'd rather watch something else, like America's Next Top Model or Project Runway."

Alec threw his hands in the air, "Well, sure. I watch Doctor Who and Supernatural, TV Shows are great. But it's X-Men." He stressed the last word, staring at Magnus in what was either horror or disbelief, Magnus couldn't tell.

Magnus laughed, "You're a class A nerd aren't you." There was a teasing smile on his face and he hoped it came across that way. Alec's face fell for a moment, but his smile returned full force when he caught sight of Magnus'.

"And proud of it too." He said, suddenly biting his lip and looking at his watch, "We still have a lot of time before Mum expects us back at the house, anything else you want to see?" Magnus shrugged.

"How about another nicknack store? I need to get something cheesy that has the word Texas written on it somewhere."

Alec laughed, "Sure thing, how about that one." He pointed across the road at a small store that looked to be filled with touristy junk. Magnus nodded and the two of them crossed the road, Alec waving to more cheery townspeople and Magnus trying for his part to not alarm them by not looking particularly outlandish or gay. The more he talked to people, the more he got the idea that the older generation weren't very accepting of anyone who strayed from their idea of normal.

The two of them wandered into the shop, the small bell that ever store seemed to have hanging just above the door cheerfully announcing their arrival. Magnus smiled and took some more pictures of the nicknacks.

He turned to Alec, "I suddenly remembered, I was meaning to ask," Magnus said, "Who was that waitress with Jace, the one who openly lusted after him? What's the story behind that one?" When Alec gave him a confused look, Magnus shrugged, "I have to get up to date on the town gossip."

Laughing, Alec nodded, "Okay, which girl? What'd she look like, I wasn't really paying that much attention."

"Uh, tall, pretty skinny, blonde hair, blue eyes."

"Oh." Alec said, "That's Kaelie. She's been obsessed with Jace forever and then he made it worse by hooking up with her at a party about a year ago." He picked up a plastic figurine off the shelf, looking at it with a general disinterest, "Then he started going out with Clary, though she still hopes there's going to be something between them."

Magnus nodded, snapping a picture of Alec and then the dorky cat plate on the shelf next to him. "How are you this up to date on the happenings of the town? Gossip didn't really seem like your region. But you seem to be a lot more knowledgeable than I'd expected."

"Mm," Alec hummed, watching Magnus take pictures and muck around with the stuff in the store with a smile, "Mostly Isabelle venting to me about one thing or the next."

"Sisters." Magnus said with a grin.

Alec furrowed his eyebrows, "I thought you didn't have any siblings?" And Magnus nodded.

"I don't," Magnus said, "But I have a bunch of crazy friends who are basically family. So by that count, I have three crazy sisters and three insane brothers." He looked over at Alec who was watching him with interest.

"Tell me about them."

Magnus was a bit taken back, "Who? My friends?" Alec nodded and Magnus shrugged. "Well, first there's Camille who's sort of like my partner in crime. We tried dating once, before I realized I was a flaming homosexual." Alec snorted and an unfamiliar voice chimed in.

"Who's a flaming homosexual?" The voice sounded vaguely curious. Magnus looked over to find it came from the girl behind the counter, an asian girl with startling blue hair. She would have looked more at home with Magnus' usual crowd rather than the small town.

Alec gave her a small smile, "Hey Lily. This is Magnus."

Walking over to shake her hand, Magnus noticed the magazine in her hand. "Oh my goodness, is that about Kim and Kanye?" Lily's eyes lit up and she nodded, the two of them proceeding to gossip for several minutes about the stars. She was funny, though a bit mysterious.

"Magnus?" Magnus heard his name and spun around, not expecting who he saw.

"Raphael?" The surprise in his voice was genuine, because he knew Raphael from some crazy parties. Magnus was certain that Raphael was also part of a motorcycle gang, the kind of thing he was sure to stay away from. But regardless, they were at that awkward level of popularity where you had to like the people you hated, simply because of status. Not to mention the fact Magnus helped save his life once.

Raphael shook his head, Magnus noticing that he was looking rather saintly, with a white v-neck, jeans and even a small cross around his neck. "I can't believe you're here. I feel like I'm dreaming."

Magnus laughed, "Do I regularly star in your dreams? I've been told that I'm a big feature in Ragnor's gay dreams." He dropped a wink, already feeling himself falling into that jerk-persona that he put on for the teenagers at school.

"Everyone's a big feature in Ragnor's gay dreams." Raphael snorted, "What are you doing down here?" He tucked his hands in his pockets, pulling out a pack of gum and offering Magnus a piece. Magnus shook his head slightly and Raphael turned the offer to Lily and Alec, both of whom accepted.

Magnus leaned against the counter, "My mum sent me down, figured that I was getting too crazy on the party scene." Raphael laughed darkly, "Why're you down here?"

"Relatives." Raphael said darkly, "I used to live down here before we moved into the city and we come back in the summers. My mum thinks it's good for my little brothers. I hate it." He smiled slightly, "The only upside is seeing Lily and the others. Hey Alec."

Alec nodded at Raphael, looking a bit distant but pleased to see him all the same. Magnus was well aware that while Raphael played the 'guy in a gang that's dark and moody and dangerous' he was in reality, a pretty smart kid. He was only fifteen but had skipped a few grades and ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Magnus was there the night he got attacked. They'd never talked about it, because Magnus had showed up pretty late to the game and Ragnor was the one who did most of the saving. It was awkward, but Magnus felt bad for Raphael. He'd joined the gangs as a method of self defense, a guy with not much money and a lot of little brothers needed a hobby after all.

"I find the small town life charming." Magnus said with a grin, "Not much of this neighbourly knowing everyone's name back home is there?" Raphael shook his head.

"None whatsoever."

Lily frowned, "Don't you miss it sometimes?" She was clearly talking to Raphael, so Magnus took that moment to take a picture of the two of them talking, something relaxed about it. He also looked around to see where Alec had wandered off too. He was standing by one of the counters, smiling slightly and walked over when he noticed Magnus watching him.

"Do you want to head out?" He asked, his voice low. Alec's breath smelled like the peppermint gum that Raphael had given him and the notion that he'd probably taste like mints if Magnus leaned in and kissed him was driving him mad.

He nodded, not totally trusting his voice with all the thoughts that were floating around in his head. Magnus wandered over and bid goodbye to Raphael, the two of them talking briefly about missing New York and promising to get together at a party that Raphael seemed excited about.

"It was nice meeting you Lily." Magnus called over his shoulder as they left, Alec raising a hand but not saying anything. The sight of Raphael clearly meant something to Alec that Magnus didn't know about. He frowned at Alec's obvious silence and tried to pretend like it didn't bother him.

"Lily seemed nice, and I wasn't expecting to see Raphael here." Magnus said, trying to sound casual. He wasn't sure what it was about them that had put off Alec so much. "Is there something bugging you?" Deciding to throw subtlety out the window was surprisingly easier than Magnus had thought it would be. Alec looked surprised at his bluntness, but shrugged. Wishing that Alec would just come out (no pun intended) and say what was bugging him, Magnus let out a frustrated sigh. "Okay, obviously there is something wrong. I was going to ignore it but now it's getting on my nerves."

"I just-" Alec sighed too, "You're different around him." He said slowly, kicking a rock in front of him, something he did a lot Magnus noticed. "You say I'm more country around the people in town, well you're more douchey around Raphael."

"I know."

Alec opened his mouth, before closing it and looking at Magnus in surprise. "You know? So are you just pretending to be nice to me? Are you really a douche?" There was a hint of hurt in his voice, like he honestly thought that Magnus was pretending to like him the entire time.

"I'm not pretending with you." Magnus said, feeling rather vulnerable with Alec's blue eyes staring at him, "I'm pretending with him. He expects a certain side of me and I don't know how to act otherwise. I prefer being around you, I don't like the way I get around him."

"He's not usually like that either." Alec said, going back to kicking his rock. Magnus was following him blindly down the street, not sure where he was going but following him anyways.

He let out a long sigh at Alec's words, "Everyone pretends Alexander. For someone, somewhere, you feel that you have to be someone else. All that anyone wants is to find the person who you don't have to pretend with." Magnus stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking up at the store where they'd stopped and raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "'Madame Dorothea, Seeress and Prophetess'." He read, "You're kidding right?"

"Nope." Alec said, a much happier grin on his face, having lost the moody, sullen look from earlier, "Fancy getting your fortune told?" The sign on the door advertised palm readings and other things, saying that Madame Dorothea was a psychic. Magnus took a photo, just for proof that Alec had made him visit such a ridiculous place.

Alec opened the door for Magnus, followed by the customary bell and an overwhelming musty smell. He gave Magnus a grin, following him into the dark room. There were curtains on the windows, blocking out natural light and giving the whole place an ominous feel. There were shelves covered in crazy bottles, but they were all against the wall, allowing for an otherwise empty store. The store wasn't nearly as big as it looked from the outside so Magnus figured there was a back room some place. Alec didn't look fazed by any or the weird jars, taking very little notice of them in the first place.

He wandered over to talk to the person at the counter, calling out a cheerful, "Hi Madame Dorothea!" Magnus followed him over, taking pictures of the shelves and curtains. The woman behind the counter was, to put it kindly, pretty crazy looking. She was wearing a brightly coloured turban which matched her neon orange silk dress. Madame Dorothea gave off the aura of being the crazy fortune teller in a body-swap movie. There were chains on her neck and wrists that rattled whenever she so much as breathed and Magnus wondered if she had ever attempted to sneak up on someone. Perhaps she had before and they'd forced her to wear the chains like some sort of deranged cat-bell.

Her eye catching Magnus', she stuck a wrinkled hand over the counter and her bracelets jangled like a chorus of heavenly bells. "I'm Madame Dorothea, welcome to my shop. I don't believe we've met Magnus Bane."

"How'd you know my name?" Magnus asked taking the woman's hand with a feeling of uncertainty.

The old woman grinned at him, showing a row of yellow teeth, "Sign on the door says psychic for a reason sweetheart." Magnus' face must have said it all because she laughed, "Don't worry dear, I'm not going to give you any death warnings or try and sell you something crazy."

Relaxing a little bit, Magnus nodded, "But I can get a fortune telling?"

"Of course," Madame Dorothea smiled, "Follow me into the back room. Alexander won't mind waiting, will he?"

"Uh, no." Alec said, shaking his head and biting his lip, "I actually needed to buy something for Isabelle, I'll be back in a couple minutes." Before he left, Alec glanced at Magnus for confirmation, "That okay Magnus?"

"Yeah sure." Magnus gave Alec an easy smile and followed Madame Dorothea into the back room, hearing the bell chime as Alec left the store.

The back room consisted of two plush purple armchairs with a large coffee table in between and a random door, which she told Magnus was a portal to the spirit world (he'd been rather hoping it was a bathroom). She and Magnus both took one of the chairs. Madame Dorothea picked up a pack of Tarot cards, beginning to lay them out on the table. Magnus watched her do it, the way she did it with such confidence made Magnus think she'd been doing it for a while.

"How'd you learn the art of fortune telling?" He asked, leaning forward in the armchair and admiring the cards. They appeared to be handpainted and were beautiful.

Madame Dorothea looked pleased and Magnus assumed that very few people called it an art. "Some people are born with it dear, I was one." Figuring he'd get a response like that, Magnus nodded, "My mother was also one," She continued, "And she taught me the true skills."

She began to flip over cards, telling Magnus all sorts of wonderful things. "You, my dear are going to be extremely happy. You've also gotten the card for love, so you'll find your soulmate." Madame Dorothea frowned, "But you'll also lose someone very dear to you, it will be a painful goodbye." She went on to say superficial things, but then offered to read his future and past in a crystal ball.

Figuring he had very little to lose but a bit of the outrageous amount of spending money his parents gave him, Magnus said yes. Madame Dorothea smiled and pulled out the crystal ball.

"So," She said, rubbing her hands over the smooth surface, "Let's start with the past shall we?" Madame Dorothea closed her eyes, nodding after a moment, "I see you being born dear, to a loving though sometimes emotionless mother and a distant father. You telling a blonde girl the two of you cannot be together, you and the blonde girl laughing. There's another image, I see a boy, he's very badly injured, he's lying on the ground, a knife in his side." Magnus blanched, there was no way she could know about his parents, Camille or Raphael's injuries the night he got attacked, it wasn't possible. "Now there's a woman, she's telling you something and you're getting mad. You're packing bags, because you have to go to Texas. You're sitting in a diner with the blonde girl and some other people. I see them upset that you're leaving but laughing because even when you're not feeling your best you try to keep their spirits high." She paused, "I see Alec as well, you opening the door and the two of you talking. You eating dinner and watching a movie with the Lightwoods. You like drawing, you draw often and dream of working in fashion." Madame Dorothea took her hands off the crystal ball, meeting Magnus' wide eyes and smiling. "Are you ready to see your future?"

"Uh," Magnus said, not totally sure how she could have done that. He was certain that magic and reading minds and being psychic were all fake, but how did she know? "Sure." He said, figuring that there might be some truth to her words and he would lose nothing from hering them.

She closed her eyes again, Magnus' stomach churning as they waited in silence.

Then she spoke, "You will work in fashion like you've dreamed. You will marry the man you love and though I can see who I cannot tell you." She opened her eyes to smile at him, "There are some things that have to stay secret. But you will say goodbye to someone who you will love and you won't know what to say. You will feel as though you are falling and flying all at once. You will work with a dear friend, helping her make the career she's always wanted."

He gaped at her, causing her to laugh. "How'd you know all that? I mean that was just-"

"-amazing." Magnus told Alec breathlessly, "I have no idea how she did it. It doesn't make any sense how she'd know those things."

Alec laughed, "I know. Kind of messes with your head. She's pretty crazy but somehow she knows things she shouldn't." He shrugged, "Must be magic. Don't let it mess you up too much though, she is just guessing."

"Pretty specific for guessing." Magnus mumbled, continuing in a louder voice, "But I won't. I don't want to be like Macbeth and let someone's predictions define my actions."

"Thane of Cawdor? Until birnam wood come to dunsinane?" Alec said.

Magnus grinned, "A cute boy who knows his Shakespeare? I'm living the dream." Alec laughed but blushed, taking the compliment like Alec hoped he would. "Where are we headed next?"

"Well," Alec said, "We only have a little bit of time left, so I figured we could just hang out by the playground." He shrugged and Magnus nodded, following him past the car and over to what must have been the school. It was relatively small, slightly smaller than Magnus' school. "It's kindergarten all the way through to grade twelve," Alec explained, "But there aren't many kids per grade, so it's not huge. We have some kids come from hours away because their towns don't have schools. We're pretty lucky in that sense."

"My school's not huge." Magnus said, "But it's about the same size as this one and it's only four grades." Alec let out a low whistle. "I don't know everyone in the grade, but I hang out with some pretty popular people so a bunch of people I don't know, know me."

They walked through the playground, deciding to sit on the swings. Alec pushed himself back and forth slightly, his feet digging wells in the wood chips.

"So," Alec said, "You never finished telling me about your friends."

Magnus launched into a story. It was filled with people that Alec didn't know, places that Alec had never been and was mostly centered around a party where too much alcohol was consumed. Yet Alec listened attentively, laughed in all the right places, gasped when it was appropriate to gasp and reacted so honestly that Magnus never once thought Alec wasn't paying attention.

"Then," Magnus said, grinning already, knowing the punchline was coming, "She fell right into the pool."

"No way." Alec said, his mouth wide and his eyes sparkling. "That could not have happened. No way, no way."

Magnus laughed, "Yes way." He gripped the cold chains, his swing swaying in the wind slightly. "The craziest things happen at those parties. And yet, being here for only a few days has been so much more of an experience."

Alec smiled, "Hearing Raphael talk about you partying and knowing that you wanted to get something with Texas printed on it, I bought you something." Magnus raised an eyebrow and Alec produced a small bag. "I wasn't actually buying anything for Isabelle, I just wanted it to be a surprise."

"You didn't have to."

He shrugged, smiling and handing the bag to Magnus, "I wanted to."

Opening the bag carefully, Magnus reached inside and pulled out the gift. It was a shot glass, the word Texas sprawled obnoxiously across with a picture of the state on it. Magnus smiled, knowing he'd probably end up treasuring the shot glass more than Alec would know.

"Do you like it?"

Alec's nervous voice jolted Magnus out of his thoughts and he nodded, "I really, really do." He insisted, looking from the glass in his hand to the boy on the swing.

"I just wanted something for you to remember me by." Alec said, laughing quietly but still sounding pretty serious. "When you're out partying, you can take it with you and remember all of us here in the middle of nowhere."

Magnus shook his head, "I don't think I'll be able to forget you Alec." he said honestly, there were so many other things he wanted to blurt out in that moment, but fear of scaring Alec away kept them from coming out. Magnus looked up and met Alec's eyes.

There was a moment of silence, the two of them just sitting on the swings. There was a souvenir shot glass in Magnus' hand and Alec's eyes darted down to his lips without thinking about it. Magnus wasn't sure how it happened, but they both started to lean in until he could feel the warmth coming off Alec's skin and smell the peppermint gum on his breath. Just before their lips could touch, Alec backed away.

He jumped off the swing and Magnus got off his own, somewhat alarmed. "Alec are you okay?" Magnus was trying not to be hurt, trying to remind himself that Alec wasn't comfortable with his sexuality. But they hadn't even kissed, Magnus wasn't going fast, he was trying to go as slow as he could. It just didn't help him that Alec was so bloody irresistible.

"No." Alec said, his voice was raw and Magnus reached out to touch his shoulder. "Please don't." Magnus' hand dropped and the two of them just stood there, Alec's back to Magnus for a few moments. He inhaled sharply, "We should go home."

Alec started to walk back towards the truck, not even turning to look at Magnus and leaving him standing in the middle of the playground still holding the souvenir in his hand. Running a hand through his hair and watching Alec go, Magnus couldn't help but wonder what he'd done to deserve falling in love with a boy who may never love him back.

* * *

**Poor Magnus. I'm really just torturing him aren't I? And Madame Dorothea is there to assure you all something that should be very clear in this fic. I'm not going to throw anyone for the loop. This is a happy ending story. Maybe not halfway, maybe not even until the last chapter. But no one is going to get killed off... most likely. *grins evilly***

**Now, even though this is long over due... would you be oh so kind to leave me a review?**

**(C'mon. That rhymed. It's got to be worth something)**

xx


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